Section.,  L?i-0  (iT^.- 


No. 


THE  GUILD  TEXT  BOOKS 


Studies  in  the 
Acts   of  the  Apostles 


/\j 


William  Robertson,  M.  A. 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature 


EDITORIAL   NOTE 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  the  Editors  to  issue  this  book 
of  Studies.  It  seems  to  us  to  be  admirably 
calculated  for  use  in  Bible  Classes ;  and  this 
is  the  primary  object  with  which  it  has  been 
prepared.  Its  language  is  singularly  clear  and 
simple  ;  the  author  has  a  distinct  purpose  in  every 
sentence ;  he  avoids  no  difficulty ;  he  is  aware  of 
the  most  recent  controversies,  and  his  reverent 
commentary  on  the  Acts  is  both  instructive  and 
impressive.  Another  purpose  may  in  our  opinion 
be  served  with  this  little  book.  In  many  house- 
holds there  is  a  sincere  wish  to  find  suitable  books 
for  family  reading  on  Simday  evening ;  and  this 
book — z.  narrative  rather  than  a  commentary,  yet 
a  narrative  which  explains  every  point  without  for- 
mal explanation- — will  be  found  to  bear  the  severest 
test  of  composition,  for  it  keeps  up  interest  when 
read  aloud.  We  say  this  after  actual  trial  when 
the  proof-sheets  were  passing  through  our  hands. 

A.  H.  CHARTERIS. 
J.  A.  M'CLYMONT. 


AUTHOR'S   PREFACE 

The  aim  of  this  text-book  is  to  help  members  of 
Bible  Classes  and  Guilds  to  obtain  a  clear  and 
intelligent  knowledge  of  the  contents  of  the  Book 
of  Acts.  As  it  is  intended  to  be  used  along  with 
the  Scripture  narrative,  it  is  arranged  in  chapters 
corresponding  to  those  of  the  Acts,  each  para- 
graph having  prefixed  to  it  a  note  of  the  verses 
referred  to  in  it. 

The  writer  has  striven  to  present  the  various 
scenes  and  incidents  in  a  form  which  it  is  hoped 
will  be  found  interesting  to  the  young  and  suit- 
able for  use  in  elementary  Bible  Classes.  At  the 
same  time  he  has  endeavoured  also  to  supply, 
both  in  the  text  and  in  the  notes,  such  explanatory 
references,  historical  and  geographical  information, 
and  illustrations  drawn  from  the  conditions  of 
Eastern  life  as  will  enable  the  reader  to  realise 
more  clearly  the  details  of  the  story,  and  to 
enter  more  sympathetically  into  the  experiences 
of  those  who  were  the  founders  of  the  Christian 
Church.  Care  has  been  taken  to  secure  that  the 
information  given  is  accurate  and  reliable  in  the 
light  of  the  results  of  the  most  recent  scholarship. 
Free  use  has  been  made  of  all  available  books  on 
the  subject,  and  the  author  desires  to  acknowledge 
his  indebtedness  to  these. 

He  has  also  to  thank  several  friends  for  assist- 
ance in  the  revision  of  the  proof-sheets,  particularly 
Professor  Nicol,  Aberdeen,  and  Dr.  M'Clymont, 
Joint-Editor  of  the  series  of  Guild  text-books. 

Ck)LTN£Ss  Manse,  August  1901. 


CONTENTS 

CHAP.  PAGE 

Introduction — The  Book  and  its  Author  i 

1.  Commissioned  to  be  Witnesses  ...  6 

2.  Pentecost 12 

3.  A  Miracle  that  had  Great  Results        .  18 

4.  Testifying  before  the  Sanhedrin     .        .  22 

5.  The  Faith  spreading  and  the  Authorities 

alarmed 28 

6.  The  Beginnings  of  Church  Organisation      37 

7.  The  First  Christian  Martyr     . 

8.  Persecution  and  its  Results     . 

9.  The  Conversion  of  St.  Paul 

10.  Preaching  the  Gospel  to  Gentiles 

11.  The  Development  and  Spread  of  Chris 

tianity     ....,, 

12.  More  Persecution       .... 

13.  Paul's  First  Missionary  Journey 

14.  Mistaken  for  Gods     .... 

15.  The    First    Council    of    the    Christian 

Church     

16.  Paul's  Second  Missionary  Journey  . 

17.  Persecuted  from  City  to  City  . 

18.  Second    Missionary   Journey    ended    and 

the  Third  begun 116 


41 
44 
52 
63 

68 
73 
77 
88 

93 

lOI 

III 


VI     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 


CHAP. 

19.  Paul  at  Ephesus 

20.  Macedonia,  Troas,  Miletus 

21.  The  Return  to  Jerusalem 

22.  Entering  a  Roman  Prison. 

23.  Trial  before  the  Sanhedrin 

24.  Weary  Days  in  Prison 

25.  The  Beginning  of  the  End 

26.  Paul  and  King  Agrippa     . 

27.  A  Disastrous  Voyage 

28.  Rome  at  Last     . 


PAGE 
Z2Z 

124 

129 

136 

141 
144 
X46 

ISO 


STUDIES   IN  THE  ACTS  OF  THE 
APOSTLES 

INTRODUCTION 

THB  BOOK  AND   ITS  AUTHOR 

1,  The  Title. — The  title  as  it  appears  in  our  Bibles 
can  hardly  have  been  given  to  the  Book  by  the  author, 
nor  does  it  correctly  describe  the  contents.  The  Book 
does  not  record  all  the  acts — nor  indeed  the  principal 
acts — of  all  the  Apostles.  In  the  first  half  of  it  little  is 
recorded  of  any  of  the  Apostles  except  Peter,  while  the 
acts  of  Philip  and  Stephen,  who  were  not  Apostles,  are 
recorded  at  length.  In  the  second  half  the  only  Apostle 
whose  acts  are  fully  recorded  is  Paul.  It  is  believed, 
therefore,  that  this  title  was  given  to  the  Book  at  a  later 
date.  This  view  is  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  in  the 
more  important  of  the  early  manuscripts  of  the  New 
Testament  the  title  given  to  it  is  "The  Acts  of  Apostles.'* 
In  one  very  important  manuscript  it  is  simply  "Acts." 

2.  The  Date. — No  statement  is  made  in  the  Book 
itself  as  to  the  date  at  which  it  was  written.  One  or 
two  circumstances,  however,  have  been  noted  which  have 
led  scholars  to  fix  a  date  about  which  it  was  probably 
written.  Although  the  author  makes  firequent  and  in- 
variably correct  reference  to  historical  events  taking 
place  during  the  period  of  which  he  is  writing,  there 
is   no  indication   that  he  knew  of  the  destruction  of 


2      STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

Jerusalem.  On  the  contrary,  he  refers  to  the  city  as 
if  still  in  its  grandeur,  speaks  of  the  Temple  services 
as  if  still  being  observed,  and  alludes  to  individual 
localities,  such,  e.g.,  as  Solomon's  Porch,  as  if  existing 
and  well  known.  Had  the  terrible  tragedies  accompany- 
ing the  siege  and  fall  of  Jerusalem  taken  place,  there 
would  almost  certainly  have  been  some  reference  to 
them.  We  know  that  Jerusalem  was  destroyed  in  the 
year  a.d.  70.  It  is  therefore  concluded  that  the  Book 
of  Acts  was  written  before  that  date.  It  has  been  noticed 
further  that  the  writer  makes  no  mention  of  the  death  of 
the  Apostle  Paul.  If  he  had  known  that  the  Apostle 
had  actually  laid  down  his  life  for  the  Gospel,  he  could 
hardly  have  avoided  mention  of  the  fact.  Now  St.  Paul 
was  martyred  at  Rome  probably  about  the  year  a.d. 
67  or  68,  and  we  therefore  conclude  that  this  Book 
was  written  before  that  date.  The  absence,  moreover, 
of  any  reference  to  the  writings  of  St.  Paul  or  to  those 
heresies  which  disturbed  the  peace  of  the  Church  in  the 
later  years  of  the  first  century  confirms  this  view.  It  is 
believed,  therefore,  that  the  Book  was  written  between 
the  years  A.D.  63  and  70,  and  the  general  opinion  is 
that  it  was  written  at  Rome. 

3.  The  Dedication. — The  Book  is  dedicated  to 
Theophilus — the  same  to  whom  the  Gospel  of  St.  Luke 
is  dedicated.  Nothing  is  known  of  this  person,  but  from 
the  epithet  "  most  excellent "  ^  applied  to  him,  it  has 
been  concluded  by  some  that  he  was  a  person  of  rank, 
holding  some  high  official  position.  Others  have  doubted 
whether  he  was  a  real  person  at  all,  and  have  suggested 
that  the  word  (which  means  "lover  of  God")  is  merely 
a  name  intended  to  indicate  any  believer. 

4.  The  Author. — The  author's  name  is  nowhere 
mentioned  in  the  Book.  All  the  traditions  of  the  early 
Church,  however,  were  to  the  effect  that  it  was  written 
by  Luke,  the  author  of  the  third  Gospel,  and  in  very 

1  This  adjective  Most  Excellent  is  applied  to  Felix  twice 
(Acts  xxiii.  26,  xxiv.  7),  to  Festus  (Acts  xxvi.  25),  and  to  Theo* 
philus  again  (Luke  i.  3). 


THE  BOOK  AND  ITS  AUTHOR  3 

early  Christian  writers  we  find  him  mentioned  by  name.  ^ 
We  find  confirmation  of  this  in  the  Book  itself.  If,  for 
example,  we  compare  the  introductory  sentences  of  the 
two  books,  we  notice  that  the  opening  words  of  the 
Book  of  Acts  ("The  former  treatise  have  I  made,  O 
Theophilus")  imply  that  it  was  written  by  the  same 
author,  as  well  as  addressed  to  the  same  individual,  as 
the  Gospel.  A  striking  similarity  of  style  and  language 
marks  the  two  books.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that 
more  than  fifty  Greek  words  which  are  found  nowhere 
else  in  the  New  Testament  are  used  both  in  the  Gospel  of 
St.  Luke  and  in  the  Book  of  Acts.  Though  the  author 
does  not  speak  directly  of  himself  in  his  book,  yet  there 
are  significant  grammatical  changes  in  his  language  im- 
plying that  on  certain  occasions  he  was  present,  and  had 
a  share  in  the  events  which  he  describes,  while  on  others 
he  was  not  For  example,  in  describing  Paul's  second 
missionary  journey,  he  says  (chap.  xvi.  8),  ^^  they  passing 
by  Mysia  came  down  to  Troas;"  Immediately  after 
(verse  10),  continuing  the  narrative,  he  says,  **  after  that 
he  had  seen  the  vision,  immediately  we  endeavoured  to 
go  into  Macedonia,  assuredly  gathering  that  the  Lord 
had  called  «j."  The  change  from  they  to  we  is  sig- 
nificant. Thereafter  the  writer  continues  to  use  the 
pronoun  "  «/^  "  until  it  disappears  (in  verse  17)  just  before 
the  imprisonment  of  Paul  and  Silas  at  Philippi.  From 
that  point  the  word  ^Uhey^^  is  used  till  we  reach  chap. 
XX.  5,  where  we  find  them  again  at  Philippi.  Here  the 
writer  resumes  the  use  of  the  word  **  we"  and  continues 
it  throughout  the  account  of  the  journey  to  Jerusalem  as 
far  as  chap.  xxi.  18,  when  he  again  begins  to  record 
what  ^^they"  did.  In  chap,  xxviii.  i,  in  describing 
the  party  embarking  at  Caesarea   to  sail  for  Italy,  he 

1  Irenaetis,  a.d.  190,  and  Tertullian,  a.d.  200,  both  refer  to  Luke 
as  the  writer.  Eusebius,  a.d.  325,  says  :  "  Luke,  by  race  a  native 
of  Antioch  and  by  profession  a  physician,  having  associated  with 
Paul,  and  having  also  associated  less  closely  with  the  other 
Apostles,  has  left  us  examples  of  that  healing  of  souls  which  he 
acquired  from  them  in  two  inspired  books,  the  Gospel  and  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles"  {Hist.  Eccl.  li.  zz). 


4      STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

once  more  uses  the  pronoun  **wtf,"  and  continues  it 
throughout  the  journey  to  Rome.  Thus  we  learn  that 
at  certain  parts  of  his  career  Luke  was  a  companion  of 
St.  Paul,  and  an  eye-witness  of  the  events  recorded. 

In  this  way,  and  from  these  expressions,  we  have  to 
glean  most  of  what  we  know  regarding  Luke.  All  that 
we  learn  of  him  beyond  this  is  gathered  from  three 
beautiful  references  made  to  him  by  Paul  in  his  Epistles 
to  the  Colossians,^  to  Philemon,  ^  and  to  Timothy. ' 
Luke  (or  Lucas),  the  beloved  physician,  was  not  a  Jew, 
for  in  Col.  iv.  ii,  14,  we  find  him  clearly  distinguished 
from  those  companions  of  St.  Paul  "who  are  of  the 
circumcision."  Probably  he  was  a  Greek  freedman. 
Of  his  previous  history,  or  of  the  time  and  manner  of  his 
conversion,  we  know  nothing.  The  first  notice  we  have 
of  him  is  in  that  word  "w<?,"  which  tells  us  that  he 
joined  Paul  at  Troas.  It  has  been  suggested  that  he 
may  have  been  a  physician  in  Troas  converted  to  Chris- 
tianity under  the  ministry  of  Paul  in  that  town.  Certain 
it  is  that  when  the  Apostle  left  Troas  and  went  into 
Macedonia,  Luke  accompanied  him  as  far  as  Philippi, 
where  they  remained  together  for  some  time.  When 
Paul  left  Philippi  to  proceed  to  Amphipolis,  Apollonia, 
and  Thessalonica,  Luke  appears  to  have  remained  behind, 
for  his  narrative  says,  "Now  when  they  had  passed," 
etc.  (chap.  xvii.  i).  When,  seven  years  afterwards, 
Paul,  in  the  course  of  his  third  missionary  journey,  paid 
another  visit  to  Philippi,  he  found  Luke  the  physician 
still  there,  and  the  grammar  tells  us  they  left  the  city 
together,  for  it  is  written,  "  We  sailed  away  from 
Philippi "  (chap.  xx.  5,  6).  We  have  no  record  of  what 
Luke  did  during  those  seven  years,  though  it  has  been 
conjectured  that  he  devoted  himself  to  missionary  work. 

1  *•  Luke,  the  beloved  physician  "  (Col.  iv.  14). 

3  "Marcus,  Aristarchus,  Demas,  Lucas,  my  fellow  -  labourers " 
(Phil.  24). 

*  "  Only  Luke  is  with  me  "  (2  Tim.  iv.  11). 

The  Epistles  to  the  Colossians  and  Philemon  were  probably 
written  during  Paul's  first  imprisonment  at  Rome  ;  the  Second 
Epistle  to  Timothy  probably  during  his  second  imprisonment. 


THE  BOOK  AND  ITS  A  UTHOR  5 

From  the  time  of  their  reunion  at  Philippi,  Luke  re- 
mained in  constant  attendance  on  Paul  during  his  journey 
to  Jerusalem,  being  his  companion  at  Miletus,  Tjre, 
and  Csesarea.  When,  finally,  we  hear  of  Paul  setting 
out  for  Rome,  we  find  Luke  accompanpng  him.  He 
was  along  with  him  in  the  shipwreck  (chap,  xxviii.  2), 
and  travelled  with  him  by  Syracuse  and  Puteoli  to 
Rome  (chap,  xxviii.  12-16).  There  he  remained  with 
the  Apostle  during  his  first  imprisonment,  and  comforted 
him  in  his  trials  and  labours.  If,  as  is  most  likely,  the 
Second  Epistle  to  Timothy  was  written  during  Paul's 
last  imprisonment,  then  Luke  was  his  faithful  companion 
during  the  last  scenes  of  the  Apostle's  life  (2  Tim.  iv.  11), 
and  the  last  gUmpse  we  get  of  the  beloved  physician  is 
closed  with  a  testimony  from  the  Apostle's  pen  to  his 
faithfulness  amidst  the  general  defection.  As  he  tells 
Timothy  how,  when  he  was  brought  before  Nero  the 
second  time,  all  had  forsaken  him,  he  adds,  "  Only  Luke 
is  with  me,"  and  Scripture  tells  us  no  more. 

5.  The  Aim  of  the  Book. — What  purpose  had 

Luke  in  view  in  writing  this  book?  Clearly  its  main 
purpose  was  historical.  It  fills  the  gap  between  the 
Gospel  and  the  Epistles,  and  shows  in  the  history  of  the 
Christian  Church  the  continued  action  of  the  risen  Christ 
through  the  Spirit  bestowed  on  His  disciples.  Beginning 
with  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  it  traces  the  growth 
and  spread  of  Christianity  from  its  small  beginnings  in 
Jerusalem  until  it  reached  Rome,  the  metropolis  of  the 
world.  Along  with  this  history  of  the  outward  spread 
of  Christianity,  however,  the  book  traces  the  inward 
development  and  organisation  of  the  Christian  Church, 
showing  how  the  little  company  of  believers,  possessed 
and  guided  by  the  Spirit,  grew  into  a  widely-spread  and 
fully-organised  Church.  It  tells  how  for  the  management 
of  certain  affairs  oifice-bearers  (deacons)  were  appointed  ; 
how  arrangements  were  made  for  the  instruction  of  be- 
lievers, for  the  observance  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  etc.  It 
tells  further  how  questions  arose  as  to  the  terms  on  which 
Gentiles  might  be  admitted  into  the  membership  of  the 


6      STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

Church,  and  how  these  were  settled.  In  such  ways  it 
traces  the  successive  steps  in  the  development  of  the 
Christian  Church.  Clearly,  however,  it  is  not  the  writer's 
purpose  to  give  a  continuous  and  complete  history  of  the 
Church  in  all  those  places  in  which  it  was  planted.  He 
desires  rather  to  record  the  planting  of  it,  and  to  describe 
the  circumstances  connected  with  its  beginning  in  each 
place,  showing  how  first  in  Jerusalem,  then  in  other 
Jewish  centres,  and  finally  among  the  Gentiles,  it  was  so 
organised  that  when  the  Apostles  passed  away  those 
Churches  would  be  able  to  maintain  their  existence  and 
continue  their  witness.  These  things  he  records  in 
such  a  way  that  what  most  impresses  the  reader  is  the 
rapid  spread  of  Christianity.  We  cannot  but  admire 
the  artistic  manner  in  which  Luke  ends  his  book. 
He  traces  the  gradual  spread  of  the  Christian  faith 
throughout  the  Roman  empire  till  he  reaches  a  point 
where  he  presents  to  us  a  picture  of  the  great  Apostle 
in  Rome,  the  metropolis  of  the  world,  "preaching  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  teaching  the  things  concerning  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  all  boldness,  no  man  forbidding 
him."  It  was  the  triumphant  proclamation  of  a  uni- 
versal Gospel  in  the  capital  of  the  world.  When  he  has 
described  this,  the  writer  of  the  Book  of  Acts  has  accom- 
plished his  purpose,  and  lays  down  his  pen. 


CHAPTER  I 

COMMISSIONED   TO  BE   WITNESSES 

Introduction  (chap.  L 1-12). — Luke  begins  by  dedicating 
his  book  to  Theophilus,  the  same  to  whom  he  had 
formerly  dedicated  his  Gospel,  and  he  intimates  a  con- 
nection between  that  treatise  and  the  one  he  is  now  about 
to  write. ^     In  the  Gospel  he  had  related  what  "Jesus 

1  The  Gospel  of  St.  Luke  closes  with  a  very  brief  notice  of  the 
Ascension.     Fuller  details  of  it  are  given  here  so  as  to  form  a  con- 


COMMISSIONED  TO  BE   WITNESSES         7 

began  both  to  do  and  to  teach  "  while  He  was  yet  in  the 
world.  The  work  thus  begun  on  earth,  however,  was 
continued  by  the  Saviour  after  He  had  ascended  to 
heaven,  by  means  of  His  Holy  Spirit  working  through 
and  guiding  His  Apostles.  ^  To  trace  the  development 
and  progress  of  the  work  in  this  new  form  is  the  purpose 
of  this  second  treatise,  the  Book  of  Acts.  It  opens  by 
telling  how  the  risen  Saviour  remained  on  earth  for  forty 
days, 2  and  during  that  time  showed  Himself  repeatedly 
to  His  disciples.  Very  interesting  would  it  be  if  we 
could  read  His  conversations  and  follow  His  intercourse 
with  them  during  those  forty  days ;  but  only  on  two 
points  have  we  information  on  the  subject  His  appear- 
ances were  intermittent,  not  continuous,  and  the  subjects 
on  which  He  conversed  with  them  were  "things  pertaining 
to  the  kingdom  of  God."  One  glimpse  of  such  an  inter- 
view is  given  us — the  last  before  His  ascension,  — and  it 
shows  us  how  far  the  Apostles  were  even  then  from 
reahsing  the  spiritual  nature  of  His  kingdom  and  of  the 
work  on  which  they  were  about  to  be  sent.  The 
Resurrection  had  kindled  anew  in  their  hearts  the  old 
hope  that  perhaps  after  all  He  was  now  going  to  restore 
the  earthly  kingdom  to  Israel.  Very  gently  our  Lord 
sets  aside  such  expectations,  and  rather  turns  their  atten- 
tion to  their  own  future.  They  must  wait  patiently.  He 
tells  them,  until  there  has  been  fulfilled  to  them  the 
promise  of  the  Father,  which  they  had  heard  of  Him.^ 
Some  of  them — John  and  Andrew  at  least — ^had  heard 
the  Baptist  speak  of  a  time  to  come  when  they  would 
be  "baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost"*    That  prediction 

nection  between  the  two  treatises,  and  indicate  the  purpose  for 
which  this  one  was  written. 

1  After  His  passion.— Literally,  "  after  He  had  suffered." 
a  Forty  days.— Better,  "by  the  s^ace  of  forty  days"  (R.V.). 
Christ  was  not  continuously  with  His  disciples,  but  showed  Himself 
to  them  frequently  at  intervals  during  the  forty  days.  The  length  of 
time  between  the  Resurrection  and  the  Ascension  is  mentioned  only 
here. 
8  Tbe  promise  of  tbe  Father.— Luke  xxiv.  49 ;  John  xiv.  x6, 

26;  XV.  26. 

^  Matt.  iiL  zz ;  Mark  L  8 ;  Luke  iiL  16 ;  John  L  33. 


8      STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

of  the  Baptist  had  been  endorsed  and  made  clearer  by  our 
Lord's  own  promise.  Now  it  was  almost  about  to  be 
fulfilled.  To  rest  on  that  promise,  then,  was  their  present 
duty.  When  once  the  fiilfilment  of  it  had  come,  and 
they  had  received  the  Holy  Ghost,  they  would  find  them- 
selves endued  with  a  power  which  as  yet  they  did  not 
possess, — a  power  which,  when  they  received  it,  would 
fit  them  for  discharging  the  great  commission  with  which 
He  was  now  about  to  entrust  them.  He  called  them 
to  be  witnesses  for  Him  before  the  world,  testifying  to 
His  life  and  character.  His  death  and  resurrection,  and 
bearing  this  testimony  in  a  constantly  enlarging  sphere, 
first  ' '  in  Jerusalem,  then  in  all  Judaea,  and  in  Samaria, 
and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth." 

From  this  parting  injunction  of  our  Lord  it  will  be 
seen  ( i )  that"  after  His  ascension  He  retained  His  relation 
with  His  Church  on  earth  by  His  Holy  Spirit ;  (2)  that 
the  mission  of  the  Christian  Church  is  to  be  a  witness  in 
the  world  for  the  ascended  Christ ;  {3)  that  from  the 
first  that  missionary  commission  of  the  Church  has  been 
world-wide  in  its  extent.  Luke  takes  the  words  of  this 
commission  as  his  guide  in  planning  out  his  book,  and 
keeps  it  before  him  from  first  to  last,  tracing  out  the 
incidents  which  were  the  fiilfilment  of  it.  Thus  this 
verse  summarises  the  contents  of  the  Book  of  Acts.^ 
When  our  Lord  gave  His  disciples  this  parting  promise 
and  charge — the  promise  of  a  spiritual  endowment  and 
a  world-wide  missionary  commission — it  was  His  last 
word  to  them.  While  the  thought  was  still  but 
entering  their  hearts,  while  their  eyes  still  looked  on 
Him  as  He  stood  with  uplifted  hands  in  the  act  of 
blessing   them,^   He    was    "  taken   up,"   and    a   cloud 

1  The  Book  of  Acts  first  records  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  "  in 
Jerusalem "  till  the  martyrdom  of  Stephen ;  then  the  dispersion 
throughout  "Judaea  and  Samaria"  (viii.  i);  Philip  going  down  to 
Samaria  (viii.  5),  and  afterwards  Peter  and  John  (viii.  24) ;  then  the 
conversion  of  Paul,  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  and  the  vision  of 
Peter;  finally  a  full  account  of  the  missionary  labours  of  Paul, 
Barnabas,  Mark,  Silas,  Timothy,  and  the  others  bv  whose  labours 
the  Gospel  spread  until  it  reached  Rome,  the  capital  of  the  Roman 
w(vld.  ^  Luke  xxiv.  51. 


COMMISSIONED  TO  BE   WITNESSES         9 

received  Him  out  of  their  sight.  They  saw  Him 
ascend  out  of  their  midst,  and  that  was  one  of  the  facts 
to  which  they  were  called  to  bear  witness.  With  what 
feelings  must  they  have  watched  Him  disappear  thus 
from  their  sight !  Little  wonder  if  they  stood  awe-struck 
gazing  up  into  that  heaven  ^  which  had  so  mysteriously 
received  their  Master  I  So  strong  was  their  sense  of 
wonder  and  amazement,  that  the  unexpected  appearance 
of  two  men  strangely  clad  in  white  apparel  standing  beside 
them  did  not  add  to  it.  Indeed,  the  strangers  stood 
unnoticed  till  the  deep  silence  was  broken  by  the  question 
they  asked,  "  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  ^  why  stand  ye  gazing 
up  into  heaven?  This  same  Jesus,  which  is  taken  up 
from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as 
ye  have  seen  Him  go  into  heaven."  With  profound 
calmness  the  strange  message  was  received ;  without  a 
word  of  surprise  the  marvellous  promise  was  accepted. 
He  would  come  back,  and  in  the  same  wonderful  manner 
as  they  had  seen  Him  go  !  At  these  words  they  turned 
away  in  silence  and  walked  quietly  back  the  short  dis- 
tance ^ — three-quarters  of  a  mile — that  lay  between  the 
Mount  of  Olives  *  and  Jerusalem,  their  hearts  filled  with 
a  great  joy.  Did  it  occur  to  them  that  they  were  carry- 
ing back  with  them  two  precious  contributions  to  the 
faith  of  the  Christian  Church — their  personal  testimony 
\s  eye-witnesses  of  the  Ascension,  and  that  explicit 
promise  of  a  Retum  which  has  been  ever  since  a  star 
of  hope  shining  on  the  Church's  path?  The  visible 
ministry  of  the  Saviour  was  ended  ;  the  invisible  ministry 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  about  to  begin. 

The  Upper  Room  (chap.  L  13,  14). — Returning  to 

1  Toward  heaven  should  be  "into  heaven,"  the  phrase  being 
used  five  times  with  quiet  emphasis  in  these  two  verses. 

2  Ye  men  of  Galilee.— They  were  all  Galileans  now.  Only  one 
of  the  twelve  belonged  to  Judaea,  and  he  was  Judas,  the  traitor. 

8  A  Sabbath  day's  journey.— 2000  cubits,  i.e.  about  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile. 

*  Oliyet,  otherwise  known  as  the  Mount  of  Olives,  is  on  the 
east  of  Jerusalem  on  the  way  to  Bethany.  Hence  the  expression 
used  by  Luke  in  his  Gospel  is,  "  He  led  them  out  as  £»  as  towards 
Bethany"  (Luke  xadv.  50)1 


lo    STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

Jerusalem  after  their  marvellous  experience,  with  the 
strange  joy  still  in  their  hearts,  the  disciples  went  up  into 
the  upper  room — probably  the  upper  room  mentioned 
before  as  that  in  which  the  Lord's  Supper  was  instituted.* 
It  was  an  interesting  gathering,  this  first  company  of 
disciples  met  in  the  name  of  the  ascended  Saviour. 
It  was  like  the  mustering  of  God's  host.  It  was  but  a 
little  company,  but  it  was  marked  by  three  striking  char- 
acteristics— unity  (they  were  all  of  one  accord),  prayerftil- 
ness  (they  continued  in  prayer  and  supplication),  and 
expectancy  (waiting  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise). 
Luke  records  at  the  outset  the  names  of  the  eleven  men 
who  were  to  be  the  founders  of  the  new  Church,  the 
leaders  in  that  work  which  it  is  his  purpose  to  describe.  ^ 
With  them  were  certain  women — probably  those  who 
had  been  wt>nt  to  minister  to  Jesus  while  He  was  on 
earth.  One  of  these  was  Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesus. 
This  is  the  last  mention  of  her  in  Scripture,  and  it  is 
noteworthy  that  in  the  last  glimpse  we  have  of  her  we 
see  her  as  one  of  a  company  of  worshippers,  kneeling  in 
prayer.  We  notice  also  that  the  brethren  of  Jesus,  who 
six  months  before  did  not  believe  on  Him,^  are  now 
among  His  disciples. 

Filling  the  Vacant  Office  (L  15-26).— The  ten 
days  that  followed  the  Ascension  the  disciples  spent 
mainly  in  devotion,  "waiting  for  the  promise."  One 
solemn  and  important  matter  of  business,  however,  they 
must  discharge,  and  it  was  the  energetic  Peter  who 
called  them  to  it  On  one  occasion,  when  about  120  of 
them  were  present,  he  rose  to  speak  on  a  subject  that 

1  Luke  xxii.  la. 

2  Compare  the  four  lists  of  the  Apostles  given  in  the  New 
Testament.  See  Matt.  x.  2  ;  Mark  iii.  16  ;  Luke  vi.  14,  and  above. 
In  each  of  these  lists  the  twelve  names  fall  into  three  groups  of 
four.  Each  group  is  headed  by  the  same  name  in  all  the  four  lists. 
The  first  and  second  groups  are  the  same  in  all  the  lists.  In  the 
third  group,  two  of  the  lists  give  the  name  of  Thaddaeus,  while  the 
other  two  give  instead  Judas,  the  brother  of  James.  These  are, 
therefore,  believed  to  designate  the  same  disciple. 

8  His  brethren. — Their  names  were  James,  Joses  (Joseph), 
Simon,  Judas  (Matt.  xiii.  55  ;  Mark  vi.  3X 


COMMISSIONED  TO  BE    WITNESSES        ii 

must  often  have  been  painfully  in  their  thoughts — the 
treachery  of  Judas  and  his  terrible  fate.  Distressing  as 
it  was  that  one  of  their  own  number  should  have  come 
to  so  dreadful  an  end,  he  pointed  out  that  this  should 
not  have  been,  and  need  not  now  be,  a  cause  of 
surprise  to  them.  It  was  exactly  what  prophecy  had 
foretold,  and  the  Scripture  must  needs  be  fulfilled.  In 
the  Book  of  Psalms,  David,  speaking  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  predicted  (i)  that  the  Messiah  would  be  be- 
trayed by  one  holding  an  office  ("a  ministry,  a  bishop- 
rick"),  and  (2)  that  the  traitor's  habitation  should  be 
cursed  and  desolate  (*•  Let  his  habitation  be  desolate, 
and  let  no  man  dwell  therein").^  Thus  in  the  fate 
of  Judas  they  could  see  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy, 
and  so  the  fulfilment  of  the  purpose  of  God.  But 
he  further  pointed  out  that  the  prophecy  goes  on  to 
say  that  his  ofl5ce  would  be  filled  up  (*'  His  bishop- 
rick  let  another  take"). 2  In  order,  then,  that  that 
also  should  be  fulfilled,  it  was  necessary,  he  argued,  that, 
they  should  now  proceed  to  elect  a  successor  to  Judas  ^ 
by  filling  up  the  vacant  apostleship.  He  laid  down 
what  were  the  qualifications  necessary  in  any  one  for  the 
office.  As  he  was  to  be,  like  other  Apostles,  an  eye-witness 
to  the  life  of  Jesus,  he  must  be  one  who  had  had  a  personal 
knowledge  of  Jesus  from  the  very  beginning  of  His 
ministry  (in  the  days  of  John's  baptism)  down  to  the 
Ascension.  This  condition  would  probably  make  the 
number  from  whom  a  choice  might  be  made  a  very  small 
one.  Using  their  own  judgment  as  they  best  could, 
the  disciples  selected  two  who  possessed  this  qualifica- 
tion— Joseph  called  Barsabas,  and  Matthias  * — and  then, 
kneeling  in  prayer,  they  asked  that  God,  who  alone  can 
judge  the  heart,  would  indicate  which  of  these  two  He 

1  Ps.  Ixix.  25. 

2  Ps.  cix.  8. 

3  Now  this  man  purchased,  etc.,  verses  18  and  19,  are  not  a 
part  of  Peter's  speech,  but  an  explanation  inserted  by  Luke  to  em- 
phasise by  a  minute  description  the  ruin  that  had  come  upon  Judas. 

4  Joseph  called  Barsabas,  and  Matthias.— Nothing  is  known 
of  these  two  men  beyond  what  is  mentioned  here. 


13     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

had  chosen.  1  Then  they  gave  forth  their  lots.^  Each 
name  was  probably  written  on  a  small  tablet.  These 
tablets  were  shaken  in  a  vessel  or  in  the  lap  of  a  robe, 
and  the  one  which  first  leaped  out  indicated  the  person 
chosen.  In  this  way  the  lot  fell  upon  Matthias,  and  he 
was  numbered  with  the  eleven  Apostles.  Thus,  not  by 
lot  only,  but  by  prayer  answered  through  the  lot,  was 
the  vacant  apostleship  filled  up.  It  is  worthy  of  note 
that  this  use  of  the  lot  occurred  before  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  that  there  is  no  recorded  use  of  it  by 
the  Apostles  after  Pentecost. 


CHAPTER   II 

PENTECOST 

(I)  The  Descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  (chap.  ii. 

I-13.  —  Slowly  the  days  passed  while  the  expectant 
disciples  still  waited  for  the  promise.  It  was  now  the 
tenth  day  since  the  Ascension,  and  the  streets  of  Jerusa- 
lem were  thronged  with  crowds  of  men  and  women.  It 
was  the  feast  of  Pentecost,^  and,  as  usual  at  that  season, 
Jews  from  every  part  of  the  world  were  in  the  city,  hav- 
ing come  up  to  keep  the  feast  in  even  greater  numbers 
than  at  the  Passover.  Away  from  the  throng,  however, 
the  little  company  of  disciples  were  gathered  quietly  for 
prayer  in  their  upper  room.  Suddenly  the  stillness  of 
their  meeting  was  broken  in  upon  by  a  great  noise — like 

1  Shew  whether  of  these  two.— Literally,  Show  of  these  two 

the  one  whom  Thou  hast  chosen. 

2  Gave  forth  their  lots.— Better,  Cast  lots  for  them. 

3  Pentecost. — As  its  name  (=  fiftieth  day)  implies,  this  feast  was 
kept  on  the  fiftieth  day  after  the  Passover.  It  was  the  Jewish 
Harvest-home.  It  was  also  called  "the  feast  of  Weeks,"  from  the 
fact  that  a  week  of  weeks  intervened  between  the  Passover  and  it. 
The  three  great  feasts  of  the  Jews  were  the  Passover,  Pentecost, 
and  Tabernacles.  To  these  all  males  were  commanded  to  go  up 
and  appear  before  the  Lord  (Deut.  xvi.  16). 


PENTECOST  13 

the  sound  of  a  mighty  wind  rushing  through  the  house 
where  they  were.  The  sound  which  startled  them  was 
followed  by  a  sight  as  startling,  for  immediately  great 
tongues  as  of  flaming  fire  were  seen  in  the  room,  distri- 
buting themselves  ^  over  the  little  band,  one  resting  on 
the  head  of  each.  It  is  not  said  that  there  was  wind, 
nor  yet  that  there  was  fire,  but  a  sound  was  heard  "  as 
of  a  wind,"  and  '*  there  appeared  cloven  tongues  like  as 
of  fire. "  These  were  the  nearest  resemblances  the  writer 
could  use  to  describe  them,  but  they  were  only  resem- 
blances. They  were  strange  external  manifestations  of 
a  reality  far  more  wonderful  still.  God,  the  Holy  Ghost, 
had  come  !  As  at  Bethlehem  the  Son  of  God  had  come 
down  to  dwell  among  men,  so  now,  on  this  day  of  Pen- 
tecost, the  Holy  Spirit  had  come  to  be  with  men  after 
the  Lord  Jesus  had  left  them.  The  power  of  a  new  life 
— the  forces  of  a  new  kingdom — were  coming  into 
operation.  It  was  a  spiritual  wonder,  and  its  effect  was 
felt  by  all  of  them,  apostles  and  disciples,  men  and 
women.  Presently  a  still  more  startling  manifestation 
of  that  Divine  Presence  was  given  when,  amidst  great 
excitement,  the  disciples  began  to  speak  with  tongues 
different  from  their  own,  and  were  understood  by  the 
foreigners  who  heard  them.  It  was  not  the  form  of  in- 
struction or  preaching  that  this  miraculous  utterance  took, 
but  rather  that  of  praise  and  adoration,  showing  forth 
the  wonderful  works  of  God.  The  sound  like  a  rushing 
wind  that  had  filled  the  upper  room  had  been  heard  2 
also  throughout  the  city.  It  could  be  traced  to  the 
house  where  the  disciples  were,  and  little  time  was  needed 
for  a  crowd  to  collect.  Filled  as  the  city  was  with 
foreign  "'"ews,  the  multitude  which  gathered  contained  re- 
presentatives of  nearly  every  country  in  the  known  world,^ 

1  Cloven  tongues.—"  Distributing  themselves,"  ue.  one  to  each, 
as  in  the  R.V.  in  margin. 

2  Noiged  abroad.—"  When  this  sound  was  heard  "  (R.V.). 

3  Parthlans  and  Modes,  etc, — These  were  Jews  who  had  settled 
and  become  natiualised  in  these  localities.  They  were  known  as 
"  the  Jews  of  the  Dispersion,"  While  the  Temple  stood,  those 
Jews  made  periodical  pilgrimages  to  the  feasts.     Thus  from  the 


14     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

and  great  was  the  surprise  when  all  of  them  heard 
those  simple  Galileans  praising  God  in  the  languages 
with  which  they  were  familiar  in  their  own  far-off  homes. 
No  wonder  all  were  amazed  and  said  one  to  another, 
*•  What  meaneth  this  ?  "  What  could  be  the  explanation 
of  this  unusual  spectacle?  Hasty  conjecture  quickly 
offered  one  explanation — these  men  were  intoxicated  ! 
"They  were  full  of  new  wine."^ 

(2)  The  First  Christian  Sermon  (chap.  ii.  14-36). — 

At  this  suggestion,  Peter  and  the  eleven  stand  forward 
from  the  other  disciples,  and  with  characteristic  zeal  he 
again  assumes  the  position  of  spokesman.  Standing  up 
and  speaking  aloud  2  to  the  multitude,  he  repudiates  the 
suggestion  of  drunkenness,  pointing  out  that  it  was  still 
but  the  third  hour  of  the  day  ^ — the  hour  of  the  morning 
sacrifice  in  the  temple,  before  which  no  pious  Jew  might 
eat  or  drink.  The  explanation  of  the  mystery,  he  said, 
would  be  found  not  in  that,  but  in  the  fact  that  prophecy 
was  being  fulfilled  before  their  eyes.  Recalling  the 
prophecy  of  Joel  *  that  in  the  last  days  God  would  pour 
out  of  His  Spirit  upon  all  flesh,  he  claimed  that  this  marvel 
was  the  fulfilment  of  that  promise.  Taking  this  as  his 
text,  he  delivered  an  address  which  is  interesting  in  many 
ways.  It  was  the  first  sermon  preached  in  the  Christian 
Church,  and  it  is  an  interesting  sample  of  Apostolic 
preaching.  The  congregation  to  which  it  was  addressed 
was  a  singularly  representative  one.  To  read  the  list  of 
lands  from  which  they  came  is  to  sweep,  in  thought, 
round  the  nations  of  the  known  world.  East  and  north, 
south  and  west  it  leads  us,  showing  how  wide  was  the 

very  beginning  the  Apostles  were  witnesses  for  Jesus  to  the  utter- 
most ends  of  the  earth,  for  Peter's  sermon  was  addressed  to  those 
who  had  their  homes  all  over  the  known  world. 

1  New  wine. — Literally,  "  sweet  wine  " — stronger  than  the  thin 
sour  wines  used  as  a  daily  beverage. 

a  standing  up,  lifted  up  his  voice.— This  ijictorial  use  ot 
standing  up  is  a  marked  peculiarity  of  St.  Luke,  being  used  by  no 
other  writer  in  the  New  Testament.  See  Luke  xviii.  ii,  40 ;  xix.  8 ; 
Acts  V.  20;  xvii.  22  ;  xxvii.  21. 

3  Tbe  third  hour.— That  is  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

4  Joel  ii.  28-32. 


PENTECOST  xs 

dispersion  of  God's  people  even  at  that  time,  for  we 
must  remember  that  those  who  had  come  from  all  those 
lands  were  not  Gentiles  but  Jews — "the  Jews  of  the 
Dispersion." 

Reading  the  sermon  itself,  we  feel  that  its  brave,  out- 
spoken tone  is  evidence  of  a  great  change  wrought  on 
Peter  by  the  bestowal  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Only  seven 
weeks  before,  when  Jesus  was  arrested,  all  those  Apostles 
forsook  Him  and  fled.^  Peter  himself  could  not  then 
muster  courage  sufficient  to  confess  his  Master  even 
before  a  maidservant.  Now,  standing  boldly  before  that 
great  multitude,  he  charges  them  as  a  nation  with  having  in 
the  person  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  killed  the  Prince  of  Life, 
and  he  points  to  this  wonderful  gift  of  tongues  as  evidence 
of  the  truth  of  the  charge  he  makes.  His  own  courage 
was  evidence  no  less  striking.  He  speaks  with  all  the 
intensity  of  an  overwhelming  conviction.  His  personal 
knowledge  of  the  Resurrection  and  the  Ascension  had 
given  him  that  conviction,  and  now  the  Holy  Spirit 
gave  him  courage  and  power  to  bear  witness  to  it.  His 
discourse  divides  itself  into  four  parts  : — 

1.  (w.  14-21). — This  which  you  hear  is  not  the  effect 
of  drunkenness ;  it  is  the  promised  outpouring  of  God's 
Spirit. 

2.  (vv.  22-32). — ^Jesus  of  Nazareth,  whom  your  nation 
crucified,  God  has  raised  from  the  dead — a  fact  of  which 
we  (the  Apostles)  are  witnesses. 

3.  (w.  33-36). — Being  now  ascended  to  the  right 
hand  of  God,  that  same  Jesus  has  shed  forth  this  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  the  effects  of  which  you  see  and  hear. 

4.  (ver.  36). — Therefore  (he  concludes)  let  all  the  house 
of  Israel  know  that  this  same  Jesus  whom  ye  crucified  ^ 
is  the  One  whom  God  has  made  both  Lord  and  Christ. 
Ye  have  crucified  the  Christ  of  God  1 

Very  solemn  and  profound  was  the  impression  made 
by  such  a  discourse,  preached  as  it  was  with  the  spiritual 
power  now  resting  on  Peter.     Those  who  heard  it,  feel- 

1  Matt.  xxvi.  56.      3  Tltat  same  Jesus,  ver.  36  (compare  R.V.X 


i6     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

ing  its  truth,  were  stung  with  remorse  at  the  blindness 
and  wickedness  of  their  nation  in  having  crucified  the 
Messiah  whom  God  had  sent,  and  in  distress  of  mind 
they  asked  Peter  and  the  rest  of  the  Apostles,  "Brethren, 
what  shall  we  do?"  "Repent,  and  be  baptized  every 
one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,"  was  the 
Apostle's  reply ;  and  with  the  exhortation  he  gave  them 
the  assurance  that  in  Jesus  Christ  not  only  would  they 
obtain  remission  of  their  sins,  but  they  would  also  receive 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  This  was  in  compliance  with 
the  direction  given  by  Jesus  before  His  Ascension,  that 
**  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  "  should  be  preached 
in  His  name,"  ^  and  also  with  the  injunction  given  them — 
"Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  nations,  baptiz- 
ing them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and 
of  the  Holy  Ghost."  ^  In  his  invitation  to  those  believers 
to  come  forward  for  baptism  Peter  also  included  their 
children.  Under  the  Old  Testament  covenant  a  man's 
children  were  included  with  him  in  the  covenant  of  God. 
We  read  that  when  God  made  a  covenant  with  Abraham, 
He  said,  "  I  will  be  a  God  to  thee  and  to  thy  seed,"  and 
accordingly  every  Israelite  was  commanded  to  have  his  son 
circumcised  when  eight  days  old,  thus  putting  upon  him 
the  outward  mark  of  that  spiritual  covenant  with  God  into 
which  he  was  admitted.  Under  the  new  covenant  of 
God,  children  were  not  to  be  worse  oflF  than  they  had  been 
under  the  old,  but  just  as  "  to  Abraham  and  his  seed 
were  the  promises  ^  made,"  "  so  also,"  says  Peter  to  those 
Jewish  converts,  **the  promise  is  to  you  and  to  your 
children."  Yea,  and  even  wider  still  is  that  promise, 
for  it  is  to  include  also  "  them  that  are  afar  off,  as  many 
as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call."  The  Church  of  God  is 
no  longer  to  be  confined  exclusively  to  the  children  of 
Abraham.  Now  the  proclamation  is  "  God  so  loved  the 
world,  that  .  .  .  whosoever  believeth  on  Him  should 
not  perish,  but  hare  ererlasting  life."  Many  another 
charge  and  exhortation  did  Peter  add  to  these,  though 

1  Ldu  zzb.  ^.  3  GaL  iiL  s6. 

•  Matt,  xxviii.  19. 


PENTECOST  17 

not  written  for  us,  for  Luke  makes  no  attempt  to  give 
more  than  the  substance  and  character  of  the  address ; 
but  so  great  was  the  awakening  and  such  the  response 
to  his  appeal  that  to  the  infant  Church  with  its  120 
believers  there  were  added  that  day  about  3000 
souls. 

Thus  we  notice  that  on  the  day  on  which  we  have  the 
first  Christian  preaching  we  have  also  the  first  mention 
and  administration  of  Christian  baptism.  Before 
this  there  had  been  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins 
by  John/  but  now  we  have  the  important  addition  *'m 
the  name  of  Jesus, ^^  i.e.  confession  of  their  faith  in  Jesus 
as  the  Christ.  2  This  constituted  the  ground  of  admis- 
sion to  the  membership  of  the  Christian  Church.  Three 
thousand  souls  in  one  day  was  a  vast  addition  to  the 
little  Church,  and  it  is  with  evident  satisfaction  that  Luke 
tells  how  those  new  converts  continued  steadfast.  In 
doing  so  he  sketches  for  us  in  outline  the  Church  life  of 
those  early  days.  He  tells  us  that  (i)  they  continued 
under  the  instruction  of  the  Apostles ;  (2)  they  shared 
in  fellowship  with  one  another  for  mutual  encourage- 
ment and  help ;  (3)  they  joined  together  in  the  breaking 
of  bread — the  earliest  name  used  in  the  New  Testament 
for  the  Lord's  Supper,  so  that  the  second  sacrament 
took  its  place  in  the  Church  along  with  baptism  from 
the  beginning ;  (4)  they  joined  together  in  the  prayers, 
i.e.  public  worship. 

Under  the  influence  of  such  exercises  as  these,  the 
spirit  of  unity  in  the  Church  deepened ;  her  members 
were  drawn  more  closely  together  in  a  common  life  as 
well  as  a  common  worship ;  she  began  to  be  regarded 
with  feelings  of  awe  and  almost  fear  by  those  who  were 
without,  while  those  within  her  communion  had  their 

1  Luke  iii.  5. 

2  Almost  without  doubt  this  first  baptism,  like  that  of  the  first 
Gentile  converts  (chap.  x.  47),  must  have  been  administered  not  by 
immersion,  but  by  pouring  or  sprinkling.  The  immersion  of  3000 
persons  in  a  city  so  sparingly  furnished  with  water  as  Jerusalem  is 
inconceivable,  while  the  idea  of  a  procession  of  over  3000  persons 
down  from  the  city  to  the  Brook  Kedron  or  the  Pool  of  Siloam  is 
equally  so. 


i8     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

daily  life  brightened  by  the  joy  and  gladness  of  a  single^ 
hearted  purpose.  And  so  the  Lord  added  to  them  daily 
such  as  were  being  saved. 


CHAPTER  III 

A  MIRACLE  THAT  HAD  GREAT  RESULTS 

(I)  A  Wonderful  Cure  (chap.  iii.  i-io).— Soon  after 
this  there  occurred  in  Jerusalem  an  incident  which  made 
a  great  sensation  and  had  important  results.  It  not  only 
attracted  attention,  and  so  afforded  Peter  an  oppor- 
tunity of  explaining  the  Christian  faith  to  a  large  gather- 
ing of  people,  but  it  brought  the  Apostles  for  the  first 
time  into  collision  with  the  authorities,  and  so  led  to  the 
first  of  that  long  series  of  persecutions  which  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  has  had  to  endure.  Through  it  also 
Peter  got  an  opportunity  of  testifying  for  Jesus  Christ 
before  the  Sanhedrin  itself — the  highest  and  most  bigoted 
ecclesiastical  court  of  the  Jews.  We  do  not  wonder, 
therefore,  that  St.  Luke  describes  the  incident  somewhat 
minutely.  The  early  disciples,  although  they  became 
Christians,  still  continued  faithful  to  their  Jewish  worship 
and  regularly  attended  the  Temple  services.  One  day  as 
Peter  and  John  ^  were  going  up  to  the  Temple  for  the 
service  held  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,*  they 
noticed  a  poor  cripple  sitting  at  what  was  known  as 
the    Beautiful    Gate.^     He  was  a   life -long    helpless 

1  Peter  and  John  are  often  associated  together.  They  were 
partners  ^Luke  v.  lo);  they  were  sent  together  to  prepare  the 
Passover  (Luke  xxii.  8) ;  they  ran  together  to  the  sepulchre  on  the 
Resurrection  morning  (John  xx.  2-5) ;  they  were  sent  to  Samaria 
together  (Acts  viii.  14). 

52  The  ninth  hour.— There  were  three  hours  of  public  prayer, 
viz.  the  third  hour  (9  A.M.),  the  sixth  hour  (la  noon)^  and  the 
ninth  hour  (3  p.m.)*  See  Ps.  Iv.  17;  Dan.  vL  10;  Acts  li.  15,  and 
X.  o. 

»  The  Beautiful  Gate.— This  gate  is  not  named  elsewhere.  It 
was  probably  the  gate  leading  from  the  court  of  the  Gentiles  to  th« 


A  MIRACLE  THAT  HAD  GREAT  RESULTS    19 

cripple,  whose  friends  carried  him  daily  to  that  spot 
that  he  might  beg  from  all  who  passed  by. 

As  the  Apostles  passed  he  asked  for  alms.  Arrested 
by  his  piteous  cry,  they  stopped,  and  both  looked  at  him 
with  a  fixed  and  earnest  gaze.  Instinctively  feeling  that 
that  gaze  meant  something  more  than  ordinary  interest, 
the  man  looked  up.  His  expectation  was  awakened, 
and  still  more  so  when  he  heard  Peter's  authoritative 
word,  "  Look  on  us  1 "  Peter's  next  words,  however,  may 
well  have  brought  him  disappointment.  ''Silver  and 
gold  have  I  none ^^^  said  the  Apostle.  A  shadow  clouded 
the  expectant  face  at  these  words,  deepening  into  a  look 
of  wonder  as  he  heard  the  Apostle  say  further,  ''But 
suck  as  I  have^  give  I  unto  tkeeP^  These  were  no 
words  of  apology  for  the  smallness  of  the  gift  Peter  was 
about  to  bestow.  Not  silver  and  gold,  but  something 
much  more  precious ;  for  as  the  wondering  cripple  gazed 
in  expectancy  the  Apostle  added,  "  In  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Nazareth,  Walk ! "  ^  We  can  imagine  the  chang- 
ing lights  and  shadows  on  the  poor  man's  face  reflecting 
the  changing  emotions  succeeding  each  other  in  his  soul. 
His  first  cry  had  been  the  mechanical,  half- indifferent 
one  with  which  for  years  he  had  addressed  every  passer- 
by. At  the  earnest  look  of  the  Apostles,  however,  and 
at  the  word  of  Peter,  he  waked  up,  anticipating  some 
gift.  Then  came  a  sense  of  disappointment  when  he 
heard  Peter,  as  he  thought,  pleading  poverty,  but  ere  the 
sentence  was  ended  he  was  conscious  of  a  strange, 
undefined,  but  very  real  expectation  of  something  which 
he  felt  sure  the  Apostle  was  about  to  give  him. 

This  was  faith, — dim  and  feeble,  no  doubt,  small  as 
a  grain  of  mustard  seed, — yet  living  and  eager  to  catch 
whatever  Peter  might  say  more.  The  moment  that 
word    "Walk"   fell    on   his   ear  he   responded.       He 

court  of  the  women.  Jfosephus,  after  describing  the  other  nine  gates, 
which  were  overlaid  with  gold,  says  of  this  one  that  it  was  made  of 
Corinthian  brass,  and  far  surpassed  in  value  all  the  rest. 

1  Rise  Tjp  and.  walk. — In  the  R.V.  the  command  rtms  simply, 
"  In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth,  Walk  1 "  which,  addressed 
to  a  man  who  never  had  walked  all  his  life,  sounds  more  startling. 


ao    STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

grasped  the  Apostle's  outstretched  hand,  and  im- 
mediately his  feet  and  ankle  bones  received  a  strength  i 
they  had  never  known.  The  life -long  cripple,  \yho 
never  before  had  stood  on  his  own  feet,  rose  up  and 
walked.  He  entered  the  Temple  with  his  benefactors, 
leaping  and  walking  and  praising  God,  thus  letting  his 
first  walk  in  life  lead  him  into  the  sanctuary,  there  to 
praise  the  Lord.  Little  did  the  poor  man  think  how 
great  a  share  he  and  those  lame  feet  of  his  were  to  have 
in  moulding  the  future  history  of  the  Christian  Church. 

(2)  Peter's  Sermon  (chap.  iii.  11-26). — That  entry 
of  his  into  the  Temple  caused  the  marvel  to  enter  on  a 
new  phase,  for  there,  leaping  strangely  about,  exulting 
in  his  newly -found — and  not  yet  familiar — power,  he 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  people,  who  knew  him 
quite  well  "by  sight,  and  were  struck  with  amazement. 
Soon  a  wondering  crowd  gathered  round  him  and  the 
Apostles  as,  turning  to  the  left,  they  passed  from  the 
court  of  the  women  into  Solomon's  Porch.  ^  Wonder 
was  on  every  face,  questioning  in  every  look.  So 
eager  were  they  to  know  what  all  this  meant,  that  Peter 
proceeded  to  explain  its  significance.  It  was  not,  he 
said,  by  any  power  or  godliness  of  their  own  that  he 
and  John  had  been  able  to  make  this  lame  man  walk. 
It  had  been  done  "in  the  name  of  Jesus."  It  was 
really  the  God  of  their  fathers  who  had  done  it,  and 
in  the  doing  of  it  He  had  borne  testimony  to  Jesus  as 
His  son, — that  same  Jesus  whom  their  nation  had  rejected 
and  compelled  the  unwilling  Pilate  to  crucify  But 
though  they  had  crucified  Him,  God  had  raised  Him  from 
the  dead,  a  fact  of  which  the  Apostles  themselves  had 

1  His  feet  and  ankle  bones,  etc.— The  Greek  words  used  are 
those  which  a  physician  would  naturally  use  in  describing  a  case, 
and  they  form  one  of  those  coincidences  which  go  to  confirm  the 
belief  that  the  Book  of  Acts  was  written  by  Luke  the  physician. 
We  notice  also  that  the  graphic  description  given  is  evidently  that 
of  an  eye-witness. 

2  Solomon's  Poroll  was  a  handsome  arcade  running  the  \yhole 
length  of  the  east  end  of  the  Temple  enclosure.  It  was  said  to 
have  been  built  by  Solomon,  and  to  have  survived  from  the  former 
Temple, 


A  MIRACLE  THAT  HAD  GREAT  RESULTS    21 

been  eye-witnesses.  He  asserted  that  it  was  through 
faith  in  the  name  of  this  Jesus — a  faith  which  was  also 
His  gift — that  they  had  been  able  to  make  the  cripple 
walk  in  presence  of  them  all.  How  terrible  then, 
he  argued,  must  be  the  responsibility  resting  on  a 
nation  who  had  rejected  and  crucified  the  Son  of  God  ! 
But  in  ignorance  they  had  done  it,  and,  moreover, 
in  doing  it  they  had  been  unconsciously  fulfilling  the 
purposes  of  God,  revealed  by  the  prophets ;  and  even 
this  great  sin  of  rejecting  His  Son,  God  would  for- 
give if  they  repented.  "Repent,  therefore,"  he  cried, 
'*  Repent  and  be  converted,  that  your  sins  may  be 
blotted  out,  that  so  there  may  come^  times  of  refresh- 
ing from  the  presence  of  the  Lord ;  and  that  He  may 
send  the  Christ  whom  He  hath  appointed,  even  Jesus." 
Peter  then,  appealing  alike  to  the  testimony  of  the 
prophets  2  and  to  their  own  position  as  the  covenant 
people,  pressed  home  the  truth  that  God,  having  raised 
up  His  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  from  the  dead,  now  offered 
Him  first  of  all  to  them  and  their  nation  as  their  Saviour, 
that  He  may  bless  them  in  turning  them  away  from  their 
iniquities.  Thus  did  he  combine  a  terrible  indictment 
of  the  Jewish  nation,  and  an  appeal  for  individual  re- 
pentance on  the  part  of  those  whom  he  addressed,  with 
the  testimony  he  bore  to  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  and 
the  offer  of  forgiveness  and  salvation  to  all  who  should 
repent. 

1  When  times  of  refreshing  shall  come.— R.V.  rightly, 
"that  so  there  may  come"  seasons  of  refreshing.  The  times  of 
refreshing  can  only  follow  the  repentance  and  conversion. 

2  All  His  holy  prophets.— Peter  justifies  his  reference  to  all  the 
prophets  (i)  by  quoting  from  Moses,  the  greatest  of  them ;  (2)  by 
referring  to  "all  the  prophets  from  Samuel,"  who  also  all  foretold 
Messiah.  The  same  division  into  "  Moses "  and  " all  the  prophets" 
is  found  chap.  xxvi.  22 ;  Luke  xxiv.  37. 


22     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 


CHAPTER   IV 

TESTIFYING    BEFORE  THE   SANHEDRIN 

(I)  Peter  and  John  arrested  (chap.  iv.   1-4).— 

While  Peter  thus  addressed  the  eager  crowd,  there  stood 
by  two  different  sets  of  spectators  whose  gloomy  looks 
betokened  great  offence.  The  priests  ^  and  those  officials  ^ 
whose  duty  it  was  to  preserve  order  in  the  Temple  were 
scandalised  at  seeing  such  a  rabble  within  its  precincts, 
and  were  afraid  lest  a  disturbance  should  arise.  Apart 
from  them  there  stood  another  group,  looking  even  more 
angry  and  annoyed.  These  were  the  Sadducees.^  Their 
favourite  doctrine  was  that  there  was  no  Resurrection  and 
no  such  thing  as  an  angel  or  a  spirit.  When,  therefore, 
they  heard  Peter  declaring  to  the  crowd  that  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  had  risen  from  the  dead,  and  that  the  Apostles 
were  witnesses  of  His  resurrection,  they  felt  that  their 
doctrine  was  being  deliberately  attacked.  The  prospect 
of  having  to  defend  their  teaching  against  men  who  boldly 
asserted  that  they  had  seen  the  risen  Saviour  sorely 
troubled  them.*  For  nearly  three  hours  the  crowd 
listened  to  Peter's  words,  but  at  last  those  two  hostile 
parties,  animated  by  different  motives,  combined  to  lay 
hands  on  the  Apostles  and  have  them  arrested.  It  was, 
however,  almost  sunset,  and  there  could  be  no  trial  of 
them  that  day,  so  they  were  conveyed  to  prison  to  await 

1  The  priests. — The  priests  were  divided  into  twenty-four  courses, 
each  of  which  served  a  week  in  the  Temple.  The  priests  mentioned 
in  the  text  were  probably  those  on  duty  for  that  week. 

2  The  captain  of  the  Temple.— Probably  a  priest  whose  duty  it 
was  to  command  the  guard  of  Levites  stationed  m  the  Temple. 

3  The  Sadducees. — These  were  the  aristocratic  and  priestly  party, 
whereas  the  Pharisees  were  the  leaders  of  the  people.  The  Pharisees 
taught  many  precepts  and  observances — traditions  of  the  fathers 
— said  to  have  been  given  orally  by  Moses  in  addition  to  the 
written  law.  These  the  Sadducees  rejected,  holding  by  the  written 
law  of  Moses.  They  also  denied  the  Resurrection  because  it  was  not 
mentioned  in  the  written  law. 

4  Being  grieved.— R.  v.,  "  sorely  troubled." 


.    TESTIFYING  BEFORE  THE  SANHEDRIN  23 

their  trial  next  morning.  ^  *  These  priests  and  Sadducees, 
however,  were  too  late  to  prevent  what  they  feared,  for 
the  mischief  was  already  dqpe.  Many  who  had  heard 
Peter's  address  had  been  convinced  by  it  and  had 
joined  the  disciples, — so  many  indeed  that  the  number  of 
believers  was  brought  up  to  ^  about  5000 — a  marvellous 
increase  in  so  short  a  time.  Christianity  was  making  its 
way  in  Jerusalem.  The  priests  and  Sadducees  might 
imprison  the  Apostles,  but  God  was  multiplying  the 
members  of  His  Church. 

(2)  The  Apostles  before  the  Sanhedrin  (chap. 

iv.  5-22). — Next  morning  a  meeting  of  the  Sanhedrin,^ 
or  great  national  council  of  the  Jews,  was  held,  and 
the  two  Apostles  were  arraigned  before  it.  It  was  an 
imposing  and  venerable  tribunal,  believed  to  contain 
those  highest  in  authority,  those  wisest  in  counsel,  and 
those  most  learned  in  doctrine  among  the  Jewish  people.^ 
Its  seventy -one  members  were  seated  in  a  semicircle, 

1  Eventide. — The  Jewish  day  ended  at  sunset,  and  it  was  not 
lawful  to  hold  a  court  in  the  night.  The  scribes  based  this  law  on 
Jer.  xxi.  12. 

2  The  munber  was.— Better,  R.V.,  |'came  to  be,"  i,e.  the 
total  number  of  Christians  was  by  this  addition  brought  up  to  about 
5000. 

8  The  Sanhedrin. — This  council,  which  included  seventy-one 
members,  was  composed  of  the  three  classes  mentioned  here — 
"rulers,  elders,  and  scribes." _  Before  this  council  Jesus  was 
brought  (Matt.  xxvi.  3  ;  Mark  xiv.  53  ;  Luke  xxii.  66). 

*  The  scribes. — "Writers."  These  were  a  body  of  men  who 
rose  into  prominence  during  the  Captivity.  At  first  they  were 
occupied  in  making  copies  of  the  sacred  writings,  but  later,  when 
the  Hebrew  language  was  being  gradually  supplanted  by  Aramaic, 
they  became  also  the  expounders  of  the  Scriptures.  Thus  they 
came  to  be  the  religious  teachers  of  the  Jews. 

Annas  was  leader  of  the  Sadducean  aristocracy.  He  had  been 
high  priest  from  A.D.  7-14,  and  was  then  deposed  by  the  Romans. 

Caiaphas  was  his  son-in-law,  and  was  legally  the  high  priest 
at  this  timej  holding  that  office  from  a.d.  25-37.  Annas  was  a  man 
of  great  ability,  and  of  great  influence  among  the  Jews,  who  still 
regarded  him  as  high  priest,  although  Caiaphas  was  so  according 
to  Roman  law.  Luke  (chap.  iii.  2)  mentions  both  as  high  priests, 
the  one  being  so  in  the  eyes  of  the  Jews,  the  other  by  Roman  law. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  when  Jesus  was  arrested  in  Gethsemane, 
the  soldiers  led  him  first  to  Annas,  by  whom  he  was  sent  on  to 
Caiaphas,  who  in  turn  sent  him  to  Pilate,  the  Roman  Governor. 
Annas  lived  to  see  five  of  his  sons  and  a  son-in-law  fill  the  ofilce 


24     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

at  the  centre  of  which  the  accused  were  made  to  stand. 
Little  wonder  if  the  two  simple  Galilean  fishermen  felt 
overawed  as  they  found  themselves  called  to  answer 
before  such  an  assembly.  If  anything  were  needed  to 
intensify  this  feeling,  it  was  supplied  by  the  terms  of 
the  opening  question  addressed  to  them.^  In  what 
name,  they  were  asked,  or  by  what  power  had  persons 
like  them  done  this?  The  question  was  as  significant 
as  it  was  contemptuous.  It  admitted  the  cure.  To 
deny  that  was  impossible,  for  the  man  was  standing 
there — a  silent  witness,  whose  testimony  could  not  be 
gainsaid.  But  it  asked  by  what  authority  they  had  pre- 
sumed to  do  it.  The  questioners  manifestly  intended  to 
bring  the  Apostles  within  the  scope  of  the  law  laid  down 
in  Deuteronomy  against  any  who  should  seek  by  signs  or 
wonders  to  tempt  Israel  away  from  God.^  God  does 
not  desert  His  servants  in  their  time  of  need,  and  the 
inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  thrilling  through  Peter 
as  he  stepped  forward  to  reply  to  that  question.  Calmly 
and  respectfully  he  began,  "Ye  rulers  of  the  people,^ 
since*  you  ask  about  the  good  deed^  done  to  this  poor 
man,  and  inquire  as  to  how  he  has  been  made  whole, 
be  it  known  unto  you — yea,  and  to  all  Israel — that  this 
has  been  done  through  the  power  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
whom  ye  crucified,  but  whom  God  raised  up  from 
the  dead.  The  saying  of  the  Psalmist  has  this  day  been 
fulfilled.  The  stone  which  was  set  at  nought  by  you 
builders  has  become  the  head  of  the  corner.  In  crucify- 
ing Jesus  ye  were  fighting  against  God  j   but   behold  ! 

of  high  priest,  and  for  nearly  fifty  years  he  wielded,  through  his 
kindred,  the  power  of  that  office. 

As  many  as  were  of  the  kindred  of  the  high  priest.— Those 
would  probably  all  be  of  the  Sadducees'  party. 

1  Ye. — In  the  Greek  the  pronoun  "ye"  is  placed  last,  a  posi- 
tion  which  gives  it  a  contemptuous  turn.     Such  people  as  ye  t 

3  Deut.  xiii.  1-5. 

8  Ye  rulers  of  the  people,  for  this  was  the  highest  judicial 
tribunal  which  the  Jews  had. 

4  If,— Used  with  great  rhetorical  skill  for  "since."  //"for  a. good 
deed  we  are  being  tried. 

6  The  good  deed,  etc. —  Literally,  "a  good  deed  done  to  an 
impotent  man."    Both  nouns  are  without  the  article.    . 


TESTIFYING  BEFORE  THE  SANHEDRIN  25 

God  has  triumphed  ;  and  now  not  only  is  bodily  healing 
to  be  found  through  His  name,  but  the  great  salvation  ^ 
for  which  men  have  so  long  looked  must  be  sought 
in  Him  ;  for  there  is  no  other  name  under  heaven  given 
among  men,  whereby  we^  must  be  saved." 

The  bold  manner  and  straight  speaking  of  the  two 
Apostles  3  were  not  without  effect.  The  members  of  the 
council  were  impressed.  They  knew  that  these  men  had 
never  studied  in  the  rabbinical  schools  ;  *  they  had  had  no 
theological  education,  and  they  marvelled  as  they  listened 
to  their  words.  Their  astonishment  set  them  thinking, 
and  by  and  by  they  remembered  that  they  had  seen  the 
men  before.  They  were  some  of  those  who  had  been 
with  Jesus.  That  thought  made  them  pause.  It  brought 
back  unpleasant  memories.  Was  history  going  to  repeat 
itself?  They  directed  the  Apostles  to  leave  the  hall 
while  the  court  should  consult  together  on  the  case. 
**  What  shall  we  do  with  these  men  ?  "  they  asked  one  of 
another.  It  was  no  use  attempting  to  deny  the  miracle. 
All  Jerusalem  could  see  that  it  had  been  wrought,  for 
everybody  knew  the  lame  beggar  who  lay  at  the  Temple 
gate.  All  they  could  do  was  to  try  to  prevent  the  matter 
going  further  by  forbidding  the  Apostles  to  speak  any 
more  in  this  name.  The  accused  were  therefore  recalled, 
and  warned  that  if  they  were  again  found  speaking  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  *  serious  consequences  would  follow. 
This  threat,  however,  produced  little  effect,  for  imme- 
diately Peter  and  John,  bold  as  ever,  returned  the  perti- 

1  Salvation. — "  The  salvation  "  for  which  we  look.  "Our  salva- 
tion." 

2  We. — In  the  Greek  "we  "  is  emphasised  by  being  placed  last. 

3  Of  Peter  and  Jolin.— From  this  we  learn  that  all  that  was 
spoken  is  not  recorded.  There  is  no  record  of  any  word  spoken  by 
John,  yet  we  are  told  that  his  boldness  of  speech,  no  less  than  that 
of  Peter,  impressed  the  council. 

4  Unlearned  and  Ignorant. — This  gives  a  wrong  impression. 
The  words  in  the  original  merely  indicate  that  they  had  never 
studied  in  the  rabbinic  schools  and  had  no  special  knowledge  of 
rabbinic  teaching.  Ignorant  is  literally  "  laymen,"  i.e.  men  with- 
out any  professional  knowledge  of  a  subject.  It  does  not  imply 
general  ignorance. 

6  Not  to  speak,  etc. — The  Greek  seems  to  imply  that  they  were 
warned  not  to  utter  the  name  of  Jesus. 


26     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

nent  but  embarrassing  answer,  **  Whether  it  is  right  in  the 
sight  of  God  to  hearken  unto  you  rather  than  unto  God, 
judge  ye  !  As  for  us,  we  cannot  but  testify  what  we  have 
seen  and  heard. "  The  court's  reply  to  this  was  a  further 
and  somewhat  undignified  threatening  and  an  abrupt 
dismissal  of  the  accused.  Much  as  they  would  have 
liked  to  inflict  some  punishment  on  them,  they  did  not 
dare,  lest  there  should  be  an  outbreak  of  indignation  on 
the  part  of  the  people  ;  they  therefore  let  them  go.  The 
would-be  persecutors  were  foiled,  and  the  two  Apostles 
walked  from  the  bar  and  from  the  court  conscious  that 
the  cause  of  Jesus  Christ  had  triumphed. 

(3)  The  Apostles  released.   A  Second  Baptism 

of  the  Holy  Ghost  (chap.  iv.  23-31). — On  regaining 
their  liberty,  Peter  and  John  quickly  made  their  way  to 
where  their  fellow-disciples  were — possibly  in  the  upper 
room  of  Pentecost,  or  it  may  have  been  in  the  house  of 
Mary,  the  mother  of  John  Mark.^  Gladly  were  they 
welcomed,  and  to  an  interested  and  wondering  company 
they  related  their  strange  experiences,  telling  what  the 
chief  priests  and  elders  had  said  to  them.  Wonder 
and  thankfulness  filled  the  hearts  of  the  listening  disciples, 
and  soon  we  see  the  little  company  joining  in  a  fervent 
prayer  of  thanksgiving  and  praise — a  remarkable  prayer, 
in  which,  after  adoring  God,  and  acknowledging  Jesus  as 
the  Christ,  they  asked  for  courage  to  continue  their  wit- 
ness-bearing, and  prayed  that  God  would  confirm  their 
preaching  by  further  signs  and  wonders  done  in  the  name 
of  Jesus.  Immediately  God's  answer  came  in  a  second 
outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  house  in  which  they 
were  assembled  was  shaken  as  it  had  been  at  Pentecost, 
and  they,  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  spake  the  Word 
with  boldness.  The  first  baptism  of  the  Spirit  had  made 
them  speak  with  tongues  ;  this  second  prepared  them  to 
preach  the  Gospel  with  boldness. 

Life  in  the  Early  Church  (chap.  iv.  32-35). — At 

this  point  there  is  a  break  in  the  narrative.     St.  Luke 
pauses  a  moment  that  he  may  present  to  us  a  picture  of 
^  Compare  chap.  xii.  12. 


TESTIFYING  BEFORE  THE  SANHEDRIN  27 

Christian  life  in  the  infant  Church.  Three  distinct  feat- 
ures characterised  it.  Prominent  among  these  was  the 
remarkable  unity  and  concord  that  existed  among  its 
members.  They  were  all  of  one  accord  ^ — of  one  mind. 
Very  noticeable,  too,  was  the  great  subject  of  their 
preaching.  It  was  the  Resurrection  of  Jesus.  The 
Apostles,  baptized  anew  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  never 
wearied  of  bearing  powerful  testimony  to  this  great 
truth.  But  most  striking  of  all  was  the  fruit  of  such 
fellowship  and  faith,  the  generous  self-forgetfulness  with 
which  each  member  of  the  little  community  sought  the 
good  of  all.  Those  who  had  means  enabled  the 
Church  to  supply  the  want  of  those  who  had  none. 
Many  parted  with  their  lands  and  possessions  for  this 
purpose,  placing  the  proceeds  ^  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Apostles,  who  distributed  them  according  as  there  was 
need.^  A  very  beautiful  picture  of  the  Christian  com- 
munity is  thus  presented  to  us,  but  alas  !  it  has  its 
shadows.  Then,  as  now,  the  Church  of  Christ  had  its 
trials  and  dangers.  We  have  already  seen  how  it  was 
threatened  with  destruction  by  persecution  from  without ; 
now  we  see  it  in  danger  of  corruption  from  within.  Be- 
side the  genuine  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  there  sprang 
up  a  counterfeit.  In  presence  of  the  spirit  of  Christian 
liberality  a  spirit  of  hypocrisy  appeared,  tempting  people 
to  pretend  to  a  generosity  they  did  not  possess.  Alas  ! 
the  true  and  the  false  were  already  found  together  in 
the  brotherhood  of  believers,  and  Luke,  in  his  picture 

1  Of  one  accord,  etc.— A  better  translation  is,  "The  heart  and 
the  soul  of  the  multitude  of  those  that  believed  were  one."  There 
was  an  invisible  spirit  of  unity  binding  them  together,  as  well  as  an 
outward  union. 

2  The  prices  of  the  things  that  were  sold. — The  language 
used  expressly  avoids  saying  that  these  men  sold  all  that  they  had. 
They  sold  some  things,  and  the  amount  realised  was  given  to  the 
Apostles  to  be  used  for  the  relief  of  those  in  need.  It  will  be  noticed 
(«)  that  this  giving  was  voluntary,  at  the  prompting  of  the  inward 
spirit  (see  chap.  v.  4)  ;  (3)  that  it  was  not  universal.  Every  one  did 
not  sell  his  property  ;  nor  does  any  one  seem  to  have  sold  his  all. 

3  According  as  he  had  need. — Many  no  doubt  were  deprived 
of  their  means  of  support  in  consequence  of  having  become  Christians, 
and  so  were  in  need. 


28     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

of  the  early  Church,  furnishes  us  with  an  instance  of 
each. 

An  Instance  of  Christian  Generosity  (chap.  iv. 

36-37). — One  of  these  instances  is  interesting  because  of 
the  prominent  part  which  the  man  concerned  in  it  after- 
wards took  in  the  planting  of  the  Christian  Church.  He 
was  a  Levite,!  Joses  or  Joseph  ^  by  name,  although  better 
known  to  us  by  the  surname  Barnabas,  which  the  disciples 
gave  to  him  because  of  his  remarkable  power  in  exhorta- 
tion. ^  A  native  of  Cyprus,*  now  living  in  Jerusalem,  he 
owned  a  small  property,  perhaps  a  farm,  or  it  may  be 
only  a  field,  although  belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Levi,  a 
tribe  whose  members  were  by  the  law  of  Moses  forbidden 
to  hold  land.  This  property  he  sold,  and  generously  gave 
the  money  to  the  Apostles  for  the  help  of  the  brethren. 
For  some  reason  this  generous  act  attracted  considerable 
attention. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   FAITH    SPREADING   AND   THE   AUTHORITIES 
ALARMED 

Counterfeit  Christianity  (chap.  v.  i-n). — In  con- 
trast with  this  Luke  records  another  incident,  memor- 
able for  the  tragic  fate  that  befell  those  concerned  in  it. 

1  A  Levite. — The  Levites  were  the  descendants  of  Levi,  other 
than  the  house  of  Aaron,  the  latter  being  priests.  The  Levites 
received  no  inheritance  in  the  Holy  Land,  but  were  scattered  among 
the  tribes.  In  the  time  of  Jeremiah  we  find  that  they  had  begun  to 
possess  land  (Jer.  xxxii.  7-12),  and  this  probably  became  general 
after  the  Captivity,  when  the  Mosaic  division  of  the  land  was  no 
longer  accurately  observed. 

2  Joses. — The  better  spelling  is  Joseph,  as  in  R.V.  The  case  of 
Barnabas  is  mentioned  probably  because  of  the  prominent  part  he 
afterwards  took  in  the  work  of  the  Church  ;  but  the  fact  of  its  being 
mentioned  at  all  shows  that  there  was  no  absolute  rule  as  to  the  sale 
of  property. 

3  Son  of  consolation.— Better,  "son  of  exhortation"  (R.V.). 
He  was,  as  we  should  say,  a  great  preacher  (compare  chap.  xi.  23). 

4  Cyprus. — The  island  still  so  called  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
Mediterranean.  ^  Though  bom  in  Cyprus,  Barnabas  was  a  Jew  of 
the  tribe  of  Levi. 


THE  FAITH  SPREADING  29 

As  among  the  twelve  disciples  there  was  a  Judas,  so  in 
the  infant  Church  there  were  some  whose  Christian  pro- 
fession was  insincere  and  unreal.  One  of  these,  a  man 
named  Ananias, ^  along  with  his  wife  Sapphira,  eager  to 
gain  a  reputation  for  Christian  liberality  as  Barnabas  had 
done,  gifted  to  the  Church  a  property  which  they  pos- 
sessed. When  they  had  sold  it,  however,  they  agreed 
together  ^  to  retain  ^  a  portion  of  the  purchase  money, 
handing  the  remainder  to  the  Apostles  as  the  whole. 
The  amount  retained  cannot  have  been  great,  otherwise 
the  general  sense  of  the  value  of  the  land  would  have 
made  it  conspicuous ;  but  it  was  a  deliberate  attempt  to 
be  false  in  religious  matters,  to  deceive  the  Apostles,  and 
to  obtain  credit  among  men  for  a  Christian  virtue  which 
they  did  not  possess.  They  were  trying  to  serve  two 
masters  while  appearing  devotedly  to  serve  only  one. 
Moreover,  this  was  not  a  momentary  act  into  which  they 
had  been  betrayed  by  a  sudden  impulse.  It  had  been 
deliberately  planned,  and  was  the  more  aggravated  inas- 
much as  it  was  a  gratuitous  piece  of  hypocrisy.  There 
was  no  call  for  their  doing  it.  There  was  no  Christian 
law  of  compulsion  requiring  them  to  sell  their  field,  nor 
yet  to  give  the  whole  price  they  had  got  for  it.*  The 
only  thing  required  was  that  in  giving  to  God  for 
Christ's  sake  they  should  be  honest  and  true.  Peter 
having  had  the  truth  revealed  to  him  by  God,  and  acting 
under  the  impulse  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  warmly  reproved 
Ananias  for  having  thus  yielded  to  the  promptings  of 
Satan  and  lied  not  merely  unto  men  but  unto  God.^ 

1  ATiAnlflj. — A  common  name.  See  chaps,  ix.  xo-x7 ;  xxiii.  2  ; 
xxiv.  I. 

2  His  wife  also,  etc. — This  is  mentioned  to  show  that  the  offence 
was  aggravated  by  having  been  deliberately  i)lanned  between  them. 

8  Kept  back,  i.e.  while  professing  to  be  giving  the  whole.  The 
word  used  is  the  same  word  which  in  Titus  iL  10  b  rendered 
purloining. 

4  Whiles  it  remained,  etc — There  was  no  law  compelling  him 
as  a  Christian  to  sell  his  property,  nor  yet  after  it  was  sold  to  give 
the  whole  price. 

5  Lie  to  the  Holy  Ghost.— Rather,  "  cheat "  or  "  deceive."  The 
Holy  Ghost  had  been  given  to  the  Apostles  to  guide  them ;  an 
attempt  to  deceive  them  is  therefore  an  attempt  to  deceive  Him. 


so     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

Immediately  Ananias,  smitten  through  the  power  of  that 
Holy  Spirit  whom  he  had  attempted  to  deceive,  fell  at 
Peter's  feet  a  lifeless  corpse,  and  amidst  the  terrified 
looks  of  the  awe-stricken  beholders  was  carried  forth  for 
burial.  1  As  if  the  tragedy  were  not  already  sufficiently 
startling,  hardly  had  three  hours  elapsed  before  his  wife, 
unconscious  of  her  widowhood,  but  partner  in  her 
husband's  sin,  came  in  where  Peter  and  the  Christian 
congregation  were  assembled,  and  in  answer  to  a  question 
from  Peter  repeated  the  false  story.  Once  more  that 
strange  look  shone  in  Peter's  eyes,  and  again  speaking  by 
the  awful  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  said  sternly, 
"  How  is  it  that  ye  have  agreed  together  to  tempt  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  ?  ^  Behold,  the  feet  of  them  that  have 
buried  thy  husband  are  now  at  the  door,  and  shall  carry 
thee  out  ! "  It  was  the  first  intimation  she  had  had  of 
her  husband's  fate,  and  on  hearing  the  words  she  also 
fell  dead  at  the  Apostle's  feet,^  and,  like  her  husband,  was 
carried  to  an  untimely  and  dishonoured  grave.  What  a 
painftilly  startling  day  this  had  been  in  the  Christian 
assembly  !  No  wonder  that  awe  and  dread  fell  both 
upon  the  members  of  the  Church*  and  upon  those 
outside  !  Believer  and  unbeliever  alike  felt  the  awe- 
inspiring  presence  of  God  and  the  lesson  He  was  teaching 
by  such  a  judgment — a  judgment  sent  doubtless  to  protect 
the  Church  from  the  entrance  of  a  spirit  which  would 
have  proved  its  ruin.    It  recalls  to  our  minds  the  severity 

1  Carried  him  out,  etc — In  a  hot  climate  like  that  of  Palestine 
burial  has  to  take  place  almost  immediately.  The  Jews,  like  the 
Greeks,  buried  their  dead  outside  the  city  walls,  and  the  graves, 
which  consisted  of  caves  and  niches  hollowed  out  in  the  rock,  were 
prepared  beforehand,  and  were  therefore  always  ready. 

2  To  tempt  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  i.e.  to  test  the  discernment 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  see  whether  He  would  reveal  the  deception 
they  had  planned. 

3  At  his  feet. — Close  to  the  place  where  the  money  her  husband 
brought  had  been  laid,  and  where  perhaps  it  was  still  lying.  It  is 
unlikely  that  it  would  be  put  with  the  other  offerings.  Possibly 
Feter  may  have  pointed  to  it  as  he  said,  "  Did  ye  sell  the  land  for 
so  much  ?  " 

4  The  Church,— Here  first  used  in  the  Acts  for  the  "  assembly" 
of  Delievers. 


THE  FAITH  SPREADING  31 


with  which  God  punished  the  impiety  of  Nadab  and 
Abihu  at  the  commencement  of  the  Jewish  priesthood.  1 
It  was  the  hand  of  God  interposed  to  save  His  Church 
from  danger,  just  as  He  interposed  to  build  it  up  by  the 
mighty  works  wrought  by  the  first  preachers  in  the  name 
of  Jesus. 

A  Growing  Church  (chap.  v.  12-16).— The  Chris- 
tian faith  continued  to  spread.  Day  after  day  the 
believers  gathered  round  the  Apostles  in  Solomon's 
Porch  and  listened  to  their  exhortations.  The  people  re- 
garded them  with  respect  and  awe,  and  although  none  of 
the  others  dared  to  intrude  among  them,  multitudes  of 
new  believers,  both  men  and  women,  were  daily  added  to 
their  number.  Such  a  report  of  their  miracles  had  gone 
abroad  that  not  only  from  Jerusalem,  but  from  the  cities 
round  about,  ^  people  came  bringing  sick  friends,  and  laid 
them  on  beds  and  couches^  in  the  streets  to  await  the 
Apostles'  coming,  and  we  read  that  they  healed  them  all. 

All  the  Apostles  arrested  (chap.  v.  17-21). — 

The  jealousy  and  indignation  of  the  authorities  were 
aroused.  The  streets  leading  to  the  Temple  were  daily 
lined  with  sick  folk,  and  the  wonderful  cures  wrought  in 
the  name  of  the  crucified  Jesus  were  exciting  the  public 
mind.  The  Sadducees  especially  were  irritated,  for  their 
favourite  doctrine  that  there  was  no  Resurrection  was 
being  brought  into  contempt.  Accordingly,  the  high 
priest  and  his  Sadducean  friends  *  resolved  to  take  active 
measures  to  put  down  the  movement.  They  had  the 
whole  twelve  Apostles  arrested  and  put  in  the  common 
prison  ^  to  await  their  trial  next  day.     That  night,  how- 

1  Lev.  X.  2. 

2  Cities  round  a"bout.— Some  of  these  were  Bethlehem,  Hebron, 
Jericho,  Emmaus,  Bethany.  The  use  of  the  word  city\s,  common 
even  when  the  places  were  very  insignificant. 

3  Beds  and  COUCh.es. — The  beds  were  what  the  richer  people 
lay  on  ;  the  couches  were  the  rugs  or  mats  of  the  poorer  people. 

4  The  whole  influence  of  the  Sadducean  party  was  called  forth, 
partly  owing  to  their  antagonism  to  the  Christian  doctrine  of  a 
Resurrection,  and  partly  to  their  jealousy  of  this  rapidly  growing 
movement. 

5  The  common  prison.— Better,  "  in  public  ward,"  not  for  punish- 
ment, but  for  safe  keeping  till  their  trial. 


32     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

ever,  another  was  added  to  the  many  wonders  of  the 
time,  for  in  the  darkness  an  angel  of  the  Lord  ^  came 
and,  opening  the  prison  doors,  set  the  Apostles  free, 
giving  them  at  the  same  time  a  charge  that  they  should 
return  to  the  Temple  and  continue  to  testify  ^  there  of  the 
new  life  that  is  in  Jesus  Christ.^  Faithful  to  this  charge, 
they  proceeded  to  the  Temple  at  daybreak.* 

A  Perplexed   Court   (chap.  v.   21-33). — Their 

opponents,  however,  were  no  less  alert,  for  the  morning 
had  hardly  dawned  when  a  hastily  summoned  meeting  of 
the  Council  ^  assembled  in  the  Council  chamber  to  con- 
sider the  steps  to  be  taken  to  deal  with  this  movement. 
How  serious  and  important  the  case  was  considered  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that  summonses  were  issued  not  only 
to  the  members  of  the  Council,  but  also  to  the  Senate  or 
body  of  Elders,  selected  because  of  their  age  and  experi- 
ence to  be  assessors  or  advisers  to  the  Council  in  cases 
of  special  importance. 

The  court  had  assembled,  and  was  waiting  for  the 
prisoners  to  be  brought  in,  when  suddenly  a  great  sensa- 
tion arose.  The  officers  of  the  Levitical  guard  entered 
in  a  state  of  great  excitement  and  reported  that  when 
they  had  gone  to  fetch  the  prisoners  they  had  found  the 
prison  with  its  doors  safely  shut,  the  guards  standing 
at  their  posts  outside  as  usual,  but  on  entering  they 
found  no  prisoners  within.  Nor  was  there  trace  of  any 
kind  to  indicate  how  they  had  escaped.  The  whole 
matter  was  a  mystery,  and  they  could  offer  no  explana- 
tion.    A  dead  stillness  fell  upon  the  court.     A  look  of 

1  Tlie  angel  of  the  Lord. — An  angel,  as  if  in  protest  against 
the  proceedings  of  those  who  taught  that  "  there  was  neither  angel 
nor  spirit." 

2  GrO  stand,  etc. — There  was  to  be  no  attempt  to  conceal  their 
deliverance  or  to  attempt  escape.  They  were  to  return  to  the  same 
place  and  to  continue  the  same  teaching. 

3  Tills  life,  i.e.  the  eternal  life  which  is  in  Jesus,  and  the 
pledge  of  which  was  given  in  His  Resurrection.  The  doctrine 
objected  to  by  the  Sadducees  was  to  be  persisted  in. 

4  Early  In  the  morning.— The  words  used  mean  immediately 
after  daybreak.  The  morning  sacrifice  was  offered  at  dawn,  and 
the  Temple  doors  were  then  opened. 

5  The  council.— The  Sanhedrin  (see  chap.  iv.  6  note). 


THE  FAITH  SPREADING  33 

wonder  and  alarm,  almost  approaching  dismay,  was  on 
the  faces  of  the  high  priest  and  the  other  leaders.  ^ 
What  could  those  things  mean  ?  and  what  was  all  this  to 
come  to?  No  one  dared  to  suggest  any  explanation  or 
to  propose  any  line  of  action.  Presently,  in  the  uncom- 
fortable stillness,  some  commotion  occurred  near  the  door 
of  the  hall.  A  messenger  approached  the  high  priest  and 
informed  him  that  the  men  they  were  seeking  were  at  that 
moment  standing  in  the  Temple  teaching  the  people. 
Whether  this  news  would  bring  much  relief  is  doubtful, 
but  it  at  least  suggested  something  that  might  be  done, 
and  the  captain  and  officers  were  ordered  to  go  and  fetch 
the  Apostles.  It  was  not  a  congenial  task,  and  the 
guard  displayed  little  enthusiasm  in  the  discharge  of  it. 
Great  was  their  relief,  however,  to  find  that  the  Apostles 
offered  no  resistance,  so  that  violence  was  unneces- 
sary. ^  The  distance  of  the  hall  of  judgment  from  the 
Temple  was  not  great,  and  very  soon  the  Apostles  were 
marched  into  court  and  placed  at  the  bar.  Even  a  casual 
observer  might  notice  a  striking  contrast  between  the 
confident  aspect  of  the  accused  and  the  grave,  troubled, 
manner  of  the  judges.  It  fell  to  the  high  priest,  as 
President  of  the  Council,  to  interrogate  the  accused,  but 
we  notice  that  he  asked  nothing  about  their  remarkable 
escape  fi-om  prison.  Probably  he  had  no  desire  to  hear 
of  any  more  supernatural  wonders.  Possibly  Caiaphas 
and  his  party  were  remembering  how  Jesus  had  risen 
mysteriously  out  of  His  grave  in  spite  of  the  Jewish  guard 
set  to  watch  it.  Anyhow,  he  had  no  wish  to  furnish  the 
Apostles  with  new  topics  on  which  to  discourse,  so  he 
went  at  once  to  what,  in  his  eyes,  was  their  grave  offence. 
That  was  contempt  of  court.  Despite  the  orders  given 
by  that  court  at  their  former  trial,  ^  the  Apostles  had  con- 

1  The  chief  priests. — The  heads  of  the  twenty-four  courses  into 
which  the  priests  were  divided. 

2  Without  Violence,  etc. — The  Jews  were  a  turbulent  people. 
We  see  in  the  death  of  Stephen  (chap.  vii.  58)  that  an  outbreak  of 
popular  rage  might  result  in  the  death  of  one  against  whom  popular 
feeling  was  displayed  (see  also  John  x.  31). 

3  Did  not  we  straltly  command  you,  etc.— Rather,  "We 
straitly  charged  you  "  (R.V.).     Not  a  question  but  a  statement. 


34     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

tinued  to  teach  their  new  doctrine  till  Jerusalem  was 
filled  with  it.^  He  does  not  condescend  to  mention 
Jesus  by  name,  but  speaks  of  their  continuing  to  "teach 
in  this  name,"  adding  as  a  further  charge  that  they 
wished  to  "bring  this  man's  blood "^  upon  the  Sanhe- 
drin,  probably  implying  that  they  were  trying  to  rouse  the 
people  to  avenge  the  murder  of  Jesus.  Was  there  in  his 
soul  a  haunting  memory  of  that  morning  when  the  chief 
priests  and  Sadducees  shouted,  "His blood  be  upon  us  and 
on  our  children  "  ?  At  once  Peter  replied,  ' '  We  ought 
to  obey  God  rather  than  men  ! "  That  was  an  answer 
the  members  of  the  Council  had  heard  before  ^  from  those 
same  fearless  lips,  only  now  there  seemed  to  be  greater 
stress  laid  upon  the  impossibility  of  doing  otherwise, 
and  Peter  followed  it  up  by  a  statement  of  the  grounds 
on  which  they  must  speak  as  they  had  done.  The 
Covenant  God  of  Israel,*  he  said,  had  raised  up  Jesus, — 
that  same  Jesus  whom  they  had  slain, ^ — and  had  made 
Him  to  be  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour,  in  order  that  in  Him 
Israel  might  find  repentance  and  forgiveness,  and  to  these 
things  the  Apostles  had  been  called  to  be  witnesses. 
They  mzist  therefore  bear  their  testimony,  and  that 
testimony  had  been  confirmed  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  Thus 
in  a  single  sentence  he  put  before  the  Sanhedrin   an 

1  Te  have  filled  Jerusalem  witli  your  doctrine.— A  striking 
testimony  from  their  enemies  that  the  Apostles  had  faithfully  ful- 
filled the  first  part  of  the  charge  committed  to  them  by  Christ :  "  Ye 
shall  be  witnesses  to  Me  in  Jerusalem  "  (chap.  i.  8). 

2  To  bring  this  man's  blood,  etc.,  i.e.  to  make  us  out  to  be  re- 
sponsible for  his  death.  They  had  voluntarily  undertaken  to  bear 
that  responsibility.     See  Matt,  xxvii.  25. 

3  Chap.  iv.  19. 

4  The  God  of  our  fathers,  etc. — Note  the  emphasis  laid  on 
"God"  in  V.  29,  30,  and  31.  As  in  chap.  iii.  13,  Peter  is  careful  to 
point  out  that  in  their  Christian  faith  they  did  not  separate  them- 
selves from  the  worship  of  the  God  of  Israel.  On  the  contrary,  they 
taught  that  in  Jesus  God's  covenant  promise  was  fulfilled.  It  was 
their  own  God,  he  says,  who  had  raised  Jesus,  who  had  made  Him 
a  Prince  and  a  Saviour,  and  who  had  sent  the  Holy  Ghost,  of  whose 
presence  and  power  they  had  seen  evidences. 

5  Whom  ye  slew  and  hanged  on  a  tree. — Better,  "Whom ye 
hanged  on  a  tree  and  slew."  This  sentence  describes  the  Roman, 
not  the  Jewish  mode  of  execution.  With  the  Jews  only  those 
already  dead  were  to  be  hanged  (Deut.  xxi.  22  ;  Josh.  x.  26) 


THE  FAITH  SPREADING  35 

outline  of  Christian  doctrine,  including  the  Crucifixion, 
the  Resurrection,  and  the  Ascension  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
doctrine  of  Repentance,  the  Forgiveness  of  Sins,  and 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  His  words  had  a  manifest 
effect  on  the  Council.  Dark  looks  grew  darker ;  per- 
plexity gave  place  to  furious  anger.  They  were  cut  to 
the  heart,  1  not  with  compunction  but  with  rage.  Once 
before,  in  blind  fanaticism,  those  chief  priests  had  cried, 
**  Crucify  Him!  crucify  Him!"  Now  history  repeats 
itself,  for  they  take  counsel  together  how  they  might  kill 
those  troublers  also. 

A  Wise  Counsellor  (chap.  v.  34-42). — The  storm 
of  rage  was  at  its  height  when  a  dignified  councillor, 
with  calm,  self-restrained  mien  and  quiet  voice,  uprose  in 
the  hall  and  asked  that  the  accused  should  be  removed 
that  the  Council  might  deliberate  on  the  case.  Im- 
mediately there  was  respectful  silence,  for  the  speaker 
was  one  held  in  high  esteem  both  for  wise  counsel 
and  for  sanctity  of  life.  It  was  Gamaliel, ^  the  grand- 
son of  the  great  teacher,  Hillel,  and  himself  so  dis- 
tinguished a  ruler  that  he  afterwards  became  president 
of  the  Sanhedrin.  As  a  doctor  of  the  law,  so  profound 
was  his  learning  that  he  was  known  long  after  as  "the 
Glory  of  the  Law."  Moreover,  he  was  a  Pharisee,  and 
believing  in  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  would  not  have 
the  same  bitter  feeling  towards  the  Apostles  as  the 
Sadducees  had.  His  suggestion  was  complied  with,  and 
the  accused  3  were  removed.  Then  in  a  quiet,  tem- 
perate speech  he  counselled  caution,  bidding  them  think 
well  before  they  resolved  on  any  extreme  step.  He 
appealed  to  history,  reminding  them  that  time  and  again 
in  the  history  of  their  nation  men  had  arisen  claiming  to 
be  prophets,  and  stirring  up  popular  movements  which 

1  Out  to  the  heart. — Literally,  "sawn  asunder"  with  rage. 

2  Gamaliel,  the  son  of  Rabbi  Simeon,  and  grandson  of  Rabbi 
Hillel.  He  was  one  of  the  seven  Rabbis  to  whom  the  higher  title  of 
Rabban  was  given.  He  is  mentioned  (in  chap.  xxii.  3)  as  the  teacher 
of  Saul  of  Tarsus. 

3  The  Apostles.— A  better  reading  is  "  the  men,"  as  in  R.V. 
Gamaliel  would  certainly  not  call  them  "  Apostles." 


36     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

had  seemed  alarming,*  but  which  in  the  end  had  come  to 
nothing.  In  view  of  this  he  recommended  that  they 
should  submit  this  claim  also  to  the  test  of  history — that 
they  should,  in  fact,  let  the  Apostles  alone.  If  this  were 
merely  a  movement  got  up  by  a  few  men,  it  would  soon 
come  to  nought,  as  the  others  had  done.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  it  was  in  reality  of  God,  they  could  not  overthrow 
it,  and  they  might  be  found  fighting  against  God.  The 
tolerant  spirit,  the  historical  argument,  and  the  temperate 
appeal  calmed  the  assembly  and  so  convinced  the  majority 
of  its  members,  that  the  course  he  recommended  was 
followed.  They  were  agreed,  however,  that  it  would 
not  do  to  let  it  appear  as  if  the  Apostles  had  triumphed. 
The  Sadducees,  therefore,  insisted  that  they  should  be 
beaten,  receiving  the  "  forty  stripes  save  one  "  appointed 
by  the  law  of  Moses  to  be  given  to  the  party  who 
had  been  wrong  in  a  dispute.  ^  This  does  not  seem 
either  consistent  or  just,  but  it  was  done.  The  Apostles 
were  beaten  in  presence  of  the  court,  after  which  they 
were  dismissed  with  a  renewed  injunction  to  teach  no 
more  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  And  so  the  matter  ended, 
and  another  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  Sanhedrin  to 
stop  the  progress  of  Christianity  had  failed.  The 
Apostles  indeed  suffered,  but  they  went  from  the  judg- 
ment hall  rejoicing  that  Christianity  had  triumphed,  and 
that  they  were  counted  worthy  to  suffer  for  Christ's 
sake.  Their  work  was  not  stopped.  Every  day  they 
continued,  both  in  the  Temple  and  at  home,  to  teach  and 
to  preach  the  truth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ. 

1  Theudas. — Josephus  mentions  a  Theudas  who  was  leader  in  an 
insurrection,  but  it  was  fifteen  years  after  this,  so  that  this  could  not 
be  he.  The  name,  however,  was  not  uncommon ;  and,  amid  the 
many  revolts  of  these  times,  just  as  there  were  three  insurrectionary 
leaders  called  Judas,  and  four  named  Simon,  there  may  have  been 
two  named  Theudas. 

Judas  of  Galilee. — In  the  early  years  of  our  Lord  this  man 
raised  a  revolt  against  the  Roman  power.  Maintaining  that  only 
God  was  King,  he  took  as  his  watchword,  "  It  is  not  lawful  to  pay 
tribute  to  Caesar. 

2  See  Deut.  xxv.  1-3. 


BEG/NNINGH  OF  CHURCH  ORGANISATION   37 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE   BEGINNINGS   OF    CHURCH   ORGANISATION 

The  Beginnings  of  Church  Organisation  (chap. 

vi.  1-7). — A  new  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  Christian 
Church  now  opens.  By  the  admission  of  the  high  priest 
himself  the  Apostles  had  filled  Jerusalem  with  their 
doctrine,  so  that  the  first  part  of  their  Lord's  commission 
had  been  discharged.  ^  Luke  now  describes  for  us  a 
series  of  events  which  in  the  providence  of  God  drove 
most  of  the  disciples  away  from  Jerusalem,  carrying 
the  Christian  faith  with  them  throughout  Judaea  and 
Samaria,  and  so  fulfilling  the  second  part  of  the  commis- 
sion. ^  In  his  account  of  these  we  get  a  glimpse  into 
the  inner  working  of  the  Primitive  Church,  and  see  a 
beginning  of  church  organisation  made  by  the  election 

of  The  Seven. 

For  a  time  the  persecution  by  the  Sanhedrin  ceased,^ 
and  the  work  of  evangelisation  went  on  rapidly,  many 
new  converts  being  brought  into  the  Church.  Increase 
in  numbers,  however,  brought  difficulties  with  it.     The 

1  Chap.  i.  8  :  "Ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  Me  both  in  Jerusalem, 
and  in  all  Judaea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost  ends  of  the 
earth." 

2  Chap.  viii.  i. 

3  Persecution  by  the  Sanhedrin.— We  are  struck  by  the  fact 
that  the  Sanhedrin  seem  to  have  ceased  to  interfere  with  the 
Apostles.  A  comparison  of  historical  dates  suggests  an  explanation 
of  this.  Stephen  was  martyred  in  37  a.d.  Pilate  was  Roman 
Governor  from  26  to  36  a.d.,  when  he  was  recalled.  His  whole  rule 
was  marked  by  tyranny,  but  the  concluding  years  were  the  worst. 
During  these  years  the  members  of  the  Sanhedrin  were  specially 
excited  by  two  of  his  oppressive  acts  which  more  immediatelj' 
affected  them.  He  seized  the  accumulated  proceeds  of  the  Temple 
tax,  amounting  to  a  vast  sum,  and  spent  it  m  making  an  aqueduct 
for  the  supply  of  Jerusalem.  _  He  also  set  up  images  of  the  Emperoi 
in  the  Holy  Citj-,  the  abominatipn  of  desolation  "standing  in  the 
sacred  places."  Ihese  doings  concentrated  the  attention  of  the 
priests  and  Sadducees  upon  Pilate,  and  for  the  time  being  the 
Apostles  were  let  alone. 


38     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

money  subscribed  by  the  wealthier  members  for  the 
relief  of  those  who  were  in  need  had  been  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  Apostles, ^  but  with  the  rapidly  increasing 
numbers  the  task  of  supervising  the  distribution  of  the 
alms  became  heavier,  and,  with  the  other  demands  upon 
their  time,  increasingly  difficult.  It  is  not  surprising 
that  dissatisfaction  arose.  In  Jerusalem  at  that  time 
there  were  two  distinct  classes  of  Jews,  viz.  those  born 
in  the  Holy  Land  and  speaking  the  language  which  in 
the  New  Testament  is  called  Hebrew,^  and  those  who 
had  come  from  Jewish  colonies  outside  of  Palestine  and 
spoke  Greek  as  their  ordinary  language.  From  both 
of  those  classes  Christianity  drew  convej^is,  so  that  both 
were  represented  in  the  Church,  and  between  those  two 
elements  trouble  arose.  A  complaint  was  made  by  the 
Greeks  that  in  the  daily  distribution  of  alms  their 
widows  were  neglected.  ^  Inquiry  seems  to  have  shown 
that  there  was  some  ground  for  the  complaint,  for  the 
Apostles  at  once  took  steps  to  provide  a  remedy.  They 
proposed  that  this  special  duty  should  be  delegated  to 
certain  qualified  men,  so  that  it  might  be  efficiently  done, 
while  they  themselves,  being  relieved  of  it,*  would  be 
able  to  devote  themselves  unreservedly  to  prayer  and  the 
ministry  of  the  Word.  They  asked  the  members  of  the 
Church  to  select  from  their  own  number  seven  good, 
wise,  spiritually-gifted  men  who  might  be  entrusted  with 
the  duty.  The  proposal  was  cordially  received.  Seven 
men^  were  chosen,  and  these,  being  approved  by  the 

1  Chap.  iv.  37. 

2  Aramaic. 

3  Their  widows. — The  very  persons  who,  being  desolate  and 
speaking  a  foreign  language,  would  be  likely  to  be  overlooked  in  the 
crowd  of  applicants. 

4  Serve  tables. — By  tables  is  meant  the  bench  or  counter  at 
which  the  money  was  distributed.  Compare  "  the  tables  of  the 
money-changers"  (Matt.  xxi.  12). 

5  Seven  men. — These  men  were  probably  the  first  office-bearers 
of  the  early  Church.  They  are  sometimes  referred  to  as  the 
officials  called  deacons,  but  in  the  New  Testament  they  are  only 
alluded  to  as  tlu  seven.  Their  appointment  marked  the  beginning  of 
a  new  order  of  things,  and  out  of  it  developed  the  whole  organisa- 
tion of  the  Christian  Church. 


BEGINNINGS  OF  CHURCH  ORGANISATION  39 

Apostles,  1  were  solem  nly  ordained  ^  to  the  office  with  prayer 
and  the  laying  on  of  hands.  ^  One  of  the  seven  was  Stephen, 
a  man  whose  name  will  be  held  in  perpetual  remem- 
brance as  the  first  of  the  Christian  band  to  win 
the  martyr's  crown.  Internal  discord  having  thus  been 
removed,  the  Gospel  spread  rapidly.  Great  accessions 
were  made  to  the  Church,  notable  among  them  being 
many  Jewish  priests  who  became  convinced  that  Jesus 
was  the  Christ. 

Arrest  and  Trial  of  Stephen  (chap.  vi.  8-15).— 

Stephen,  who  was  a  man  of  remarkable  faith*  and 
spiritual  power,  immediately  took  a  prominent  place  in 
the  work  of  the  Church.  In  Jerusalem  there  were 
numerous  synagogues,^  and  in  many  of  these  the  con- 
gregation consisted  of  Hellenistic  or  Greek  -  speaking 
Jews.  To  one  of  these  synagogues  Stephen  doubtless 
belonged,  and  being  a  Hellenist  himself,  he  seems  to 
have  directed  his  efforts  chiefly  to  the  conversion  of  the 
Hellenists.  His  activity  and  his  power  in  disputation 
awakened  keen  opposition,  and  it  is  noticeable  that 
whereas  previous  persecutions  of  the  Apostles  had  been 
instigated  by  the  Sadducees — the  parties  whose  prejudices 
were  chiefly  assailed — the  one  now  initiated  was  due  to 
a  combination  of  the  representatives  of  four  of  these 
Hellenistic  synagogues,   viz.   those   of  the  Libertines,  ^ 

1  WhOin  "we  may  appoint. — While  leaving  to  the  assembled 
brethren  the  selection  of  the  men,  they  retained  in  their  own  hands 
the  control  of  the  appointment. 

2  If  we  may  judge  of  the  men  appointed  by  their  names,  every 
one  of  them  would  seem  to  be  a  Grecian,  They  are  all  Greek 
names.  Of  none  of  them  except  Stephen  and  Philip  (chap.  viii.  5, 
xxi.  8)  is  anything  further  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament. 

3  Laid  tlieir  hands  on  them. — An  act  implying  the  setting  apart 
to  an  ofSce.  (Comp.  Thess.  viii.  10 ;  xxvii.  18-23  >  Acts  xiii.  3 ; 
I  Tim.  iv.  14  ;  v.  22). 

4  Faith.— Better,  "  grace,"  as  in  R.V. 

8  Synagogue. — Literally,  "place  of  meeting."  A  Jewish  place 
of  worship.  The  institution  of  the  synagogue  dates  from  the  Cap- 
tivity. The  number  of  synagogues  in  Jerusalem  was  very  great. 
It  is  said,  though  on  doubtful  authority,  that  there  were  480.  The 
different  communities  of  Greek-speaking  Jews  had  each  their  own 
synagogue. 

8  Libertines. — "  Freedmen."    Probably  the  descendants  of  Jews 


40     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

of  the  Cyrenians,^  of  the  Alexandrians,^  and  of  Cilicia  ^ 
and  Asia.*  At  first  they  tried  to  silence  Stephen  by 
argument,  but  failing  in  this,  they  betook  themselves  to 
the  familiar  method  of  stirring  up  opposition  against 
him.  The  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  were  already 
only  too  bitterly  hostile  to  the  Apostles  and  their  teach- 
ing; now  it  was  found  possible  to  enlist  also  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  common  people,  who  had  formerly  sided  with 
the  disciples.  Stephen's  clear  insight  perceived  that 
the  religion  of  Jesus  was  essentially  spiritual,  and  was 
therefore  superior  to,  and  must  in  the  end  reach  beyond, 
the  ritualistic  and  legalistic  system  of  Judaism,  His 
opponents  represented  this  as  blasphemy  against  God 
and  against  Moses.  We  can  understand  how  anything 
that  seemed  to  threaten  the  destruction  of  the  Temple — 
the  admiration  and  pride  of  every  Jewish  heart — could 
easily  be  used  to  infiame  the  prejudices  of  the  populace. 
All  that  was  needful,  therefore,  was  to  do  in  the  case  of 
Stephen  what  had  been  done  so  successfully  in  the  case 
of  Jesus  ^ — set  up  men  who  would  testify  that  this  was 
the  purpose  of  his  teaching.®  Accordingly  this  was  done. 
He  was  arraigned  before  the  Council.  Men  were  brought 
forward  who  swore  that  they  had  heard  him  teach  that 

who  had  been  carried  captive  to  Rome  by  Pompey  (b.c.  63), 
and  had  been  there  set  free.  Eighteen  years  before  this  these 
Jewish  freedmen  had  been  banished  from  Rome,  and  many  had 
returned  to  Palestine.  After  their  return  to  Jerusalem  they  formed 
one  congregation,  and  used  one  synagogue  specially 

1  Cyrenians. — Cyrene  was  in  Africa,  about  half-way  between 
Carthage  and  Alexandria.  It  is  said  that  about  one-fourth  of  its 
population  were  Jews.  We  find  Simon,  a  Cyrenian,  living  in 
Jerusalem  at  the  time  of  the  Crucifixion  (Matt,  xxvii.  32). 

2  Alexandrians. — Natives  of  Alexandria  in  Egypt,  where  in 
the  time,  of  Christ,  and  long  before,  there  was  a  large  Jewish 
population. 

3  Of  Cilicia. —Cilicia^  was  at  the  south-east  corner  of  Asia 
Minor.  One  of  its  principal  towns  was  Tarsus,  the  birthplace  of 
St.  Paul,  so  that  he  would  probably  belong  to  this  synagogue. 

4  Asia.  — Throughout  the  Book  of  Acts  Asia  signifies  the  Roman 
province  of  Asia,  comprising  Mysia,  Lydia,  and  Caria,  with  Ephesus 
for  its  capital. 

6  Matt.  xxvi.  61. 

*  False  witnesses. — Their  falsehood  consisted  in  the  perverted 
turn  they  gave  to  Stephen's  words. 


THE  FIRST  CHRISTIAN  MARTYR  41 

Jesus  of  Nazareth  would  destroy  the  Temple  ^  and  abolish 
the  customs  given  them  by  Moses. 

Nothing  more  was  needed.  The  people  who  had 
formerly  been  ready  to  stone  any  one  who  should  attack 
the  Apostles  ^  were  now  as  ready  to  stone  Stephen  and 
his  fellow-disciples.  Surely  the  Sanhedrin  might  have 
been  satisfied  now  1  Yet,  as  they  looked  at  that  gentle 
prisoner,  standing  in  their  midst  so  calm,  so  undismayed, 
so  confident  in  his  cause,  with  a  look  of  heaven's  peace 
resting  upon  him,  it  seemed  as  if  they  were  looking  on  an 
angel  face,  and  still  they  were  not  satisfied* 


CHAPTER   VII 

THE   FIRST  CHRISTIAN   MARTYR 

Stephen's  Defence  (chap.  vii.  1-53). — At  length  the 

high  priest  calls  upon  Stephen  to  answer  the  charges 
laid  against  him,  and  amidst  stillness  and  attention  he 
stands  forward  to  do  so.  His  clear  voice  was  heard  in 
the  silent  council  hall.  So  important  was  the  speech- 
he  delivered  that  Luke  reports  it  at  greater  length  than 
any  other  speech  in  the  Book  of  Acts.  It  has  been 
styled  *'the  Apology  to  the  Jews  for  the  Universalism  of 
Christianity."  To  understand  it  we  must  bear  in  mind 
the  charge  made  against  Stephen,  viz.  that  he  taught  a  faith 
which  implied  the  breaking  down  of  the  exclusiveness  of 
the  Temple  worship  and  the  passing  away  of  the  Mosaic 
ritual.  In  his  defence  Stephen  practically  admits  this 
charge,  but  he  defends  it  iDy  a  double  argument.  He 
shows  that,  so  far  from  dishonouring  Moses  or  God,  he^ 

}  Shall  destroy  this  place.— See  chap.  vii.  48  :  "  The  Most 
High  dwelleth  not  in  temples  made  with  hands."  In  the  estimation 
of  the  Jewish  people  of  that  time  to  dissociate  worship  from  Jerusalem 
would  be  practically  to  destroy  th^  Temple. 

2  Chap.  V.  26. 


42     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

recalls  God's  dealings  with  Abraham  and  Moses,  and 
grounds  his  teaching  upon  these  ;  and  so  far  from  dis- 
honouring  the  Temple,  he  recalls  its  wonderful  history 
and  the  sayings  of  the  prophets  respecting  it.  He  points 
out  that  in  time  past  the  worship  of  Jehovah  had  not 
^been  confined  to  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  for  : — 

{a)  God  had  been  with  Abram  in  Mesopotamia,  and 
had  been  worshipped  by  him  there  (2-8). 

{b)  God  had  been  with  Jacob,  Joseph,  and  Moses  in 
Egypt,  and  was  worshipped  by  them  there  (9-24,  30-38). 

{c)  God  had  been  with  Israel  in  the  wilderness  during 
all  the  wanderings  of  the  Tabernacle,  and  had  been 
worshipped  by  their  fathers  there  (44-46). 

{d)  Even  at  the  dedication  of  the  Temple  Solomon 
in  his  prayer  had  said  that  the  Most  High  dwelleth  not 
in  temples  made  with  hands,  but  in  the  words  of  the 
prophet,  "Heaven  is  His  throne,  earth  His  footstool, 
and  no  one  spot  His  place  of  rest "  (47-50). 

Thus  from  the  patriarchal,  the  Mosaic^  the  kingly, 
and  the  prophetic  periods  of  their  own  history  he 
adduced  evidence  to  prove  that  God  was  not  the  God  of 
the  Jews  alone,  and  that  the  worship  of  the  Most  High 
was  not  restricted  to  any  one  particular  spot. 

Resisting  God's  Purpose. — Along  with  this  line 

of  argument  Stephen  interwove  another,  which  led  him 
to  bring  against  his  accusers  the  very  charge  they  were 
bringing  against  him.  Ever  and  again,  he  said,  it  could 
be  seen  in  the  history  of  their  nation  that  the  rulers  of 
the  people  had  misunderstood  the  revelation  of  God's 
purpose,  and  had  resisted  and  persecuted  those  who  had 
pointed  it  out  to  them.  He  adduces  three  instances  of 
this:— 

(a)  The  Hebrews  misunderstood  Moses  in  Egypt,  and 
said,  "Who  made  thee  a  ruler  and  a  judge?"  (25-29). 

(p)  The  Israelites  at  Sinai  thrust  aside  Moses  and 
made  themselves  a  molten  calf  (39-43). 

(f)  Their  fathers  had  persecuted  the  prophets,  and 
their  nation  had  betrayed  and  murdered  the  Messiah. 
And  just  as  their  fathers  had  done  they  were  now  doing 


THE  FIRST  CHRISTIAN  MARTYR  43 

— stift-necked  and  hard  of  heart,  they  were  resisting  ;he 
Holy  Ghost  (51-53). 

A  Gleam  of  Heaven. — At  this  point  the  speech 

was  rudely  interrupted.  The  rage  of  his  accusers  had 
reached  a  pitch  of  frenzy,  and,  irritated  beyond  endur- 
ance, they  gnashed  their  teeth  at  him.  It  was  a  wild, 
passion-swept  scene,  but  in  the  midst  of  it  the  speaker, 
still  glowing  with  the  vehemence  of  his  fervid  appeal, 
stood  calmly  looking  away  beyond  them  and  their  angry 
threatenings  up  into  God's  quiet  heaven,  when  lo  !  there 
opened  out  before  him  a  heavenly  vision,  in  which  he 
beheld  the  brightness  of  God's  glory  ^  and  the  Son  of  man 
standing  2  on  the  right  hand  of  God — a  visible  Presence 
for  the  comfort  and  help  of  His  suffering  servant.  While 
the  glow  of  that  vision  still  shone  on  his  face  there  came 
from  his  trembling  lips  a  cry  of  ecstasy,  **  Behold,  I  see 
the  heavens  opened,  and  the  Son  of  man  ^  standing  on 
the  right  hand  of  God."  Jewish  rage  could  stand  no 
more.  With  a  wild,  passionate  rush  they  seized  him 
violently  and  swept  him  from  the  judgment  hall.  They 
dragged  him  to  the  place  beyond  the  city  wall  *  where 
fhe  execution  of  malefactors  usually  took  place,  and 
there,  casting  him  headlong  over  the  rock,  they  stoned 
h'm  to  death.  It  was  probably  the  work  of  the  infuriated 
mob,  no  legal  condemnation  having  been  passed,  but  there 
WIS  a  general  concurrence  in  what  was  done,  and  the 
Sanhedrin,  the  elders,  and  the  people  were  all  respon- 
siole.  Strange  to  say,  in  all  that  tumultuous  mob  we 
karn  the  name  of  but  one  individual — a  young  man,^ 

1  The  glory  of  God. — Some  visible  sign  of  God's  presence,  such 
at  the  Shechina  had  been  to  the  Jews  of  old. 

2  Jesus  Standing,  etc. — The  attitude  of  standing  instead  of 
sitting,  as  described  elsewhere,  may  have  been  to  indicate  the 
rciidiness  of  Jesus  to  succour  His  suffering  servant. 

3  The  Son  of  man. — This  title,  often  used  by  Jesus  Himself,  is 
never  used  of  Him  by  another  except  here.  Probably  there  is  a 
reference  to  His  own  promise  (Matt.  xxvi.  64). 

4  Out  of  the  city. — To  comply  with  the  law,  Lev.  xxiv.  10-16. 
Though  engaged  in  a  shameful  murder,  they  are  scrupulous  about 
observing  the  letter  of  the  law. 

6  A  young  man. — The  phrase  used  implies  a  man  between  thirty 
and  forty  years  of  age. 


44     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

named  Saul,  who  was  consenting^  to  the  deed,  and  at 
whose  feet  the  witnesses  ^  laid  their  garments  in  order 
that  they  might,  according  to  the  law,  cast  the  first 
stones.  Of  that  young  man  we  shall  hear  more.  He 
had  cause  to  remember  that  day's  work !  At  length,  with 
the  light  of  heaven  still  suffusing  his  face,  and  a  prayer  that 
sounds  like  an  echo  of  that  of  his  dying  Lord  upon  his 
lips, — "Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge!" — the 
weary  servant  of  God  sank  in  his  last  sleep  3— the  faith- 
ful witness  had  gained  the  martjrr's  crown. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

PERSECUTION    AND    ITS    RESULTS 

Persecution  (chap.  viii.  1-4). — A  little  band  of  devout* 
men  carried  the  dead  Stephen  to  his  burial  amid  great 
lamentation ;  and  so  ended  a  short,  bright  Christian  career. 
Yet  in  the  hand  of  God  that  end  was  in  reality  a  begin- 
ning. How  often  do  we  see  it  so  !  *'  God  buries  His 
workmen  but  carries  on  His  work."  "When  night  grows 
darkest,  day  dawns.  In  this  case,  however,  the  night 
was  to  grow  darker  still,  for  that  outburst  of  bloodthirsty 
violence  proved  the  beginning  of  a  reign  of  terror  in 
Jerusalem.  The  rage  of  the  Sanhedrin  and  the  fury  of 
the  populace  increased.     The  death  of  Stephen  had  not 

1  Consenting  to  his  death. — The  word  expresses  far  more  than 
mere  passive  consent.  Took  pleasure  in  his  murder  (see  chap, 
xxii.  20 ;  Rom.  L  32). 

2  Witnesses. — By  the  Mosaic  law  the  witnesses  had  to  cast  the 
first  stones  (Lev.  xvii.  7). 

3  He  fell  asleep. — The  early  Christians  called  their  burial-places 
sleeping-places  ("  koimeteria  ") — hence  our  word  "  cemetery."  _ 

*  Devout. — This  word  occurs  only  three  times  elsewhere  in  the 
New  Testament  (chap.  ii.  5  ;  xxii.  12  ;  Luke  ii.  25),  and  each  time  it 
is  applied  to  Jews.  It  is  concluded,  therefore,  'Caz.t  Jews  as  well  as 
Christians  took  part  in  the  burial.  Had  it  been  Christians  alone,  the 
word  "disciples"  or  "brethren"  would  probably  have  been  used. 


PERSECUTION  AND  ITS  RESULTS         45 

by  any  means  stopped  the  progress  of  the  new  teaching, 
and  now  Sadducees,  Pharisees,  and  common  people  all 
united  in  their  hostility  to  the  Christians.  Not  content 
with  prohibiting  them  from  meeting,  or  with  violently 
dispersing  their  gatherings  when  they  met,i  the  persecutors 
raided  the  homes  of  the  Christians  by  night,  and  men 
and  women  were  dragged  forth  ^  and  thrust  into  prison, 
to  be  afterwards  brought  for  trial  before  the  elders  of 
their  synagogue.  Every  possible  means  was  tried  to 
compel  them  to  disown  their  faith  in  Jesus,  but,  to  the 
surprise  and  chagrin  of  the  zealots,  many  refused,  though 
for  that  refusal  they  were  scourged,  beaten,  wantonly  out- 
raged. In  some  instances  they  were  even  done  to  death  ^ 
as  Stephen  had  been.  Foremost  in  all  this  brutal  and 
deadly  work,  the  most  unwearied  in  determination  and 
most  relentless  in  persecution,  was  the  young  man  who 
had  attracted  notice  by  the  part  he  took  in  the  execution 
of  Stephen — Saul  of  Tarsus,  the  pupil  of  Gamaliel.^ 
For  weeks  this  state  of  things  went  on.  Jerusalem 
seemed  given  over  to  fanaticism ;  scourging,  outrage, 
death  became  the  daily  portion  of  the  poor  unoffending 
followers  of  Jesus.  Little  wonder  if  the  steadfastness 
of  some  gave  way  and  they  purchased  relief  by  denying 
their  Christian  faith.  Multitudes,  however,  rather  than 
do  this  fled  from  the  city,  seeking  refuge  among  the  smaller 
towns  throughout  Judaea  and  Samaria,  and  carrying  with 
them  as  their  most  cherished  possession  their  Christian 
faith.  The  result  was  that,  like  wind  scattering  seed, 
the  fierce  persecution  carried  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ 
everywhere.      The   fire  was   not  extinguished  j    it  was 

1  Made  havock  of  the  dmrch.— St.  Paul  himself  says  (chap, 
xxii.  4),  "I  persecuted  this  way  unto  the  death,  binding  and  deliver- 
ing into  prisons  both  men  and  women." 

2  Haling,  i.e.  "hauling,"  dragging  (compare  Luke  xii.  58). 

3  Acts  xxvi.  II. 

4  Saul. — How  active  and  bitter  he  was  in  the  persecution  he  tells 
us  himself  (see  chap.  xxii.  4;  also  chap.  xxvi.  10,  11):  "Many 
of  the  saints  did  I  shut  up  in  prison,  having  received  authority 
from  the  chief  priests ;  and  when  they  were  put  to  death,  I  gave 
my  voice  against  them.  And  I  punished  them  oft  in  every  syna- 
gogue and  compelled  them  to  blaspheme  ;  and  being  exceedingly 
mad  against  them,  I  persecuted  them  even  unto  strange  citief." 


46    STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

scattered  abroad,  and  every  flaming  faggot  helped  to 
kindle  a  new  flame  somewhere  else.  "  The  blood  of  the 
martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  Church." 

The  Gospel  in  Samaria  (chap.  viii.  5-13). — The 

Apostles  themselves  did  not  leave  Jerusalem.  Why  they 
were  not  killed  by  the  persecutors  it  is  difficult  to  under- 
stand, but  they  were  able  to  remain  at  their  posts,  and 
from  Jerusalem  as  a  centre  to  give  guidance  and  help  to 
new  and  rising  Christian  communities  elsewhere.  Many 
of  the  refugees  had  gone  to  Samaria,^  among  them  being 
Philip,2  who,  like  Stephen,  was  one  of  the  seven  deacons 
and  a  Greek-speaking  Jew.  Stephen  had  taught  that  the 
Gospel  was  not  for  the  Jews  only,  but  for  the  whole 
human  race.  Philip  puts  that  doctrine  into  practice  by 
going  and  preaching  Christ  to  the  Samaritans.  In 
Samaria  he  was  safe,  for  there  the  power  of  the  high 
priest  and  the  Sanhedrin  could  not  reach  him.  More- 
over, the  Samaritans  readily  welcomed  him,  and  while 
preaching  Christ  he  confirmed  his  message  by  many  mir- 
aculous signs.  Crowds  gathered  to  hear  his  words. ^ 
His  message  and  his  miracles  alike  impressed  the  people, 
and  many  were  converted  to  the  Christian  faith.  In 
Samaria,  however,  Philip  met  the  first  of  those  subtle 
opponents  with  whom  the  Gospel  has  ever  had  to  con- 
tend— men  who  did  not  directly  oppose  the  truth,  but 
,  who  corrupted  its  pure  morality  and  its  simple  faith  by 
I,  a  human  admixture  which  deteriorated  and  poisoned  its 
'  doctrine.      Before  his  arrival  the  Samaritans  were  being 

1  Samaria. — The  province  lying  between  Judaea  and  Galilee. 
Its  capital  was  the  city  of  Samaria  referred  to  here.  Most  of  the 
inhabitants  of  that  region  had  been  carried  away  captive  by  Shal- 
manezer,  721  B.C.  (2  Kings  xvii.  6),  and  at  a  later  period  by  Esar- 
haddon.  who  replaced  them  by  settlers  from  Babylon,  Hamath,  etc. 
(2  Kings  xvii.  24).  The  mixed  race  which  grew  up  were  called 
Samaritans,  and  were  regarded  by  the  Jews  with  a  peculiar  hatred 
(see  John  iv.  9). 

2  PMlip. — The  deacon — not  Philip  the  apostle,  otherwise  the 
mission  of  Peter  and  John  (vv.  14-17)  would  have  been  unnecessary. 
He  is  also  called  "  Philip  the  evangelist"  (chap.  xxi.  8). 

3  The  people  with  one  accord.— Multitudes.  The  words  in 
the  original  imply  that  crowds  of  people  accepted  the  new  teaching 
and  confessed  their  faith. 


PERSECUTION  AND  ITS  RESULTS         47 

carried  away^  by  the  teaching  and  wonder-working  ot 
one  Simon, ^  a  magician  or  sorcerer. ^  Such,  however, 
was  the  effect  of  Philip's  preaching  that  not  only  did 
the  multitude  believe  and  were  baptized,  but  Simon 
himself  was  among  the  number.  He  professed  a  like 
faith  and  received  baptism  with  the  others.  Alas  !  how 
shallow  and  perverted  that  faith  was  the  sequel  showed. 
Doubts  and  Inquiry  (chap.  viii.  14-17)- — Mean- 
time tidings  reached  Jerusalem  of  the  wonderful 
work  going  on  in  Samaria,  and  that  numbers  of  the 
Samaritans  had  received  the  Gospel  and  been  bap- 
tized. By  many  the  news  would  be  received  with  some- 
thing of  a  shock,  for  the  strict  Jewish  feeling,  which 
regarded  the  grace  of  God  as  limited  to  the  Jews  only, 
naturally  viewed  the  Gospel  offer  in  the  same  light.  The 
Apostles  themselves,  however,  though  probably  surprised, 
do  not  seem  to  have  raised  any  objection  as  they  did 
later  when  Peter  baptized  Cornelius  the  Gentile.*  The 
Samaritans  were  a  people  kindred  to  the  Jews,  and 
in  a  sense  were  the  descendants  of  Abraham.  Immedi 
ately  on  hearing  the  news,  however,  the  Apostles  sent  two 
of  their  number — Peter  and  John^ — to  inquire  into  and 
supervise  the  work.  Those  two  proceeded  to  Samaria, 
and  being  satisfied  that  it  was  a  work  owned  of  God, 
they  completed  it  by  the  laying  on  of  hands,  with  prayer 
that  the  new  converts  might  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  That  prayer  was  answered  by  an  outpouring  of 
the  Spirit,  accompanied  by  some  of  those  manifestations 
which  marked  His  coming  at  Pentecost. 

1  "Bewitched,"  "amazed."  The  same  verb  is  used  in  ver.  13  of 
the  feeling  produced  in  Simon  by  sight  of  Philip's  miracles,  and  is 
there  translated  "wondered." 

2  Simon  Magus,  or  Simon  the  sorcerer. — There  are  many  legends 
about  this  man,  but  nothing  is  really  known  of  him. 

8  Used  sorcery. — The  Greek  has  "using  magian  lore" — exer- 
cising magic  arts  such  as  were  then  common  in  the  East.  The 
"  Magi "  were  the  priestly  class  under  the  empire  of  the  Medes  and 
Persians,  and  their  influence  was  very  great.  ^  See  chap.  xi.  3. 

5  Peter  and  Jolin.— So  Jesus  sent  out  the  Apostles  "  two  and 
two  "  (Mark  vi.  7),  and  also  the  seventy  (Luke  x.  i).  So  also  we 
find  Barnabas  and  Saul  (chap.  xiii.  2),  Judas  and  Silas  (chap.  xv. 
22),  Paul  and  Silas,  Barnabas  and  Mark  (chap.  xv.  39). 


48     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

Judged  by  the  Spirit  (chap.  viii.  18-25). — That 

Divine  presence  soon  began  to  winnow  the  Church,  and 
the  first  revelation  made  was  in  the  case  of  Simon  the 
sorcerer.  Observing  the  spiritual  gifts  bestowed  through 
the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  Apostles,  he  recognised 
a  wonder  greater  than  any  with  which  he  had  been  able 
to  amaze  the  Samaritans,  and  he  longed  to  possess  the 
power  which  these  Apostles  had.  As  a  professional  wizard 
such  a  power  would  be  worth  a  great  deal  to  him,  so  he  pro- 
posed to  buy  it  with  money.  ^  Could  any  clearer  evidence 
be  given  of  a  heart  as  yet  unenlightened  by  God's  Spirit  ? 
Again  we  note  on  Peter's  face  the  stern  look  we"  saw 
once  before,  and  we  hear  from  his  lips  words  of  terrible 
doom:  "Thy  money  perish  with  thee!^  Thou  hast 
neither  part  nor  lot  in  this  matter.  Thy  heart  is  not 
right  in  the  sight  of  God."  Presently  through  the  stern- 
ness of  denunciation  we  mark  a  tone  of  almost  affectionate 
appeal,  begging  the  poor  old  sorcerer  to  repent  and  pray 
God  to  grant  him  forgiveness  even  fol-  this  which  came  so 
perilously  near  that  unpardonable  blasphemy  against  the 
Holy  Ghost  of  which  the  Saviour  had  spoken.  But 
'Simon's  reply  reveals  a  graceless  heart.  He  has  no 
/word  of  sorrow  for  the  evil  of  his  thought ;  he  shows 
/no  trace  of  an  awakened  conscience  or  sign  of  repent- 
I  ance.  All  he  asks  is  that  Peter  will  pray  that  those 
'  terrible  things  may  not  come  upon  him.  Dreading  the 
punishment,  he  has  no  thought  of  the  sin.  Painfully 
impressive  must  have  been  the  effect  of  all  this.  It 
was  a  sorrowful  passage  amidst  the  joy  that  filled  the 
city.  It  showed  judgment  alongside  of  mercy,  and  the 
Church  in  Samaria  must  have  rejoiced  with  trembling. 

1  Money. — The  character  of  the  man  is  shown  by  his  request. 
He  desired  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  it  seemed  a  higher  power  than  his 
own  magic,  and  as  he  offered  to  buy  it  with  money,  so  he  prob- 
ably thought  to  make  money  by  it.  Hence  comes  our  word 
Simony,  which  means  buying,  selling,  or  bargaining  for  spiritual 
functions. 

2  Thy  money  perisll,  etc. —Thy  silver  be  with  thee  for  per- 
dition. Thy  money  perish,  as  thou  art  now  in  the  path  to  perishing 
or  perditioiu  Still  there  was  left  to  Simon  a  place  of  repentance 
(ver.  23). 


PERSECUTION  AND  ITS  RESULTS         49 

After  this  incident  Peter  and  John  returned  to 
Jerusalem,  preaching  the  Gospel  by  the  way  in  many  of 
the  Samaritan  villages  through  which  they  passed. 
Thus  was  the  circle  of  Christianity  widening. 

Changed  Plans  (chap.  viii.  26). — While  Philip  was 
still  busied  with  the  work  in  Samaria,  God,  through  an 
angel  messenger,  directed  him  to  leave  the  city  and  journey 
southward,  taking  the  desert  road  from  Jerusalem  to  Gaza,^ 
in  the  extreme  south-west  of  Palestine.  This  must  have 
seemed  to  him  like  turning  away  from  a  hopeful  field  of 
work  at  the  very  time  when  it  most  needed  attention,  for  in 
Samaria  multitudes  were  eager  to  hear  the  Gospel,  while 
the  road  to  Gaza  was  lonely  and  desert.  Philip,  how- 
ever, obeyed,  and  experience  soon  showed  the  advan- 
tage of  following  implicitly  the  guidance  of  God,  for 
on  that  lonely  road  he  found  that  which  most  rejoices 
the  heart  of  an  evangelist — a  soul  seeking  God — a 
heart  longing  to  be  taught  the  way  of  life. 

An    Eventful   Meeting  (chap.   viii.   27-40). — 

Walking  along  this  road,  Philip  noticed  a  large  company 
of  travellers  behind  him.  Soon  they  overtook  him,  and 
he  learned  that  it  was  a  high  official  of  Ethiopia  ^ — the 
treasurer  at  the  court  of  Queen  Candace — travelling  with 
a  large  retinue  of  servants  and  an  armed  escort.  On 
such  a  road  a  solitary  traveller  not  unusually  sought  pro- 
tection by  attaching  himself,  when  opportunity  offered,  to 
a  large  company,  and  when  Philip  did  so  now  it  was  not 
regarded  as  an  intrusion.  By  and  by  the  evangelist 
learned  that,  though  living  so  far  from  Palestine,  this 
Ethiopian  was  of  the  Jewish  faith.    He  was  reading  the 

1  Probably  in  a  vision,  as  in  the  case  of  Cornelius  (chap.  x.  3),  and 
of  Peter  (chap.  xi.  5). 

2  Gaza,  the  most  southerly  of  the  five  cities  formerly  belonging 
to  the  Philistines,  was  on  the  route  which  a  traveller  from 
Jerusalem  to  Egypt  would  take.  There  were  two  roads  from 
Jerusalem  to  Gaza.  The  "desert"  road  was  probably  the  one  by 
Hebron,  which  passes  through  the  desert  hills  of  Southern  Judaea. 

3  Ethiopia. — The  country  in  Northern  Africa  lying  south  of 
Egypt,  now  the  Soudan.  Its  northern  portion  was  the  great 
kingdom  of  Meroe,  which  for  a  long  period  was  ruled  by  a  succession 
of  queens,  all  of  whom  were  called  Candace,  just  as  the  successive 
kings  of  Egypt  were  called  Pharaoh 


50     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

Jewish  Scriptures.  Possibly  he  may  have  been  of 
Jewish  descent,  but  it  is  more  likely  that  he  was  a 
proselyte.^  As  a  Jew  he  had  been  on  a  visit  to 
Jerusalem,  and  was  now  returning  home.  During  his 
visit  to  the  holy  city  many  things  must  have  impressed 
him, — the  Temple  services  with  their  strange  symbolism 
— the  teaching  of  the  scribes  and  doctors ;  but  per- 
haps most  of  all  he  would  be  struck  by  the  excitement 
then  filling  the  city  regarding  the  new  teachers  who 
persisted  in  declaring  that  the  long-promised  Messiah 
had  come  in  the  person  of  one  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  It 
may  be  that  he  had  seen  or  heard  some  of  the  Apostles, 
and  so  gained  some  idea  of  what  their  teaching  was. 
Certain  it  is  that  sitting  there  in  his  chariot,  reading  the 
Scriptures  ^  aloud,  after  the  manner  of  orientals, ^  he  was 
perplexing  himself  as  to  the  meaning  and  application  of 
the  passage  he  was  reading — the  familiar  chapter  in 
Isaiah  which  says  of  the  Messiah,  "  He  was  led  as  a 
sheep  to  the  slaughter."* 

Prompted  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  Philip  approached 
the  chariot,  and  noticing  the  passage  read,  he  asked  the 
stranger  whether  he  understood  it.  Too  painfully  con- 
scious of  his  own  ignorance,  and  too  eager  in  his  search 
after  the  truth  to  resent  the  question,  the  Ethiopian 
acknowledged  his  ignorance  and  expressed  a  wish  that 
he  could  have  some  teacher  to  enlighten  him,  at  the 
same  time  inviting  Philip  to  come  up  into  the  chariot 
beside  him.  Ethiopia  was  holding  out  her  hands  to 
God  !  ^  The  invitation  was  readily  accepted,  and  for  a 
long  distance  on  that  desert  road  the  eager  evangelist 

1  Prosel3rte.  —  Literally,  "one  who  has  come  over,"  generally 
applied  to  converts  from  heathenism  to  the  Jewish  faith. 

2  The  Scriptures.  —  He  probably  used  the  Septuagint  (The 
LXX.),  or  ancient  Greek  translation  of  the  Scriptures.  That  trans- 
lation was  made  in  Egypt,  and  its  use  in  that  country  was  almost 
universal.  Philip,  too,  who  belonged  to  the  Grecians,  would  be 
most  familiar  with  the  Greek  translation. 

3  Reading  aloud  was  common  among  orientals,  and  was  specially 
the  practice  of  the  Jews,  who  accompanied  the  reading  with  a  good 
deal  of  bodily  motion,  this  being  considered  helpful  to  study, 

4  Isaiah  liii. 

6  Psalm  Ixviii.  31. 


PERSECUTION  AND  ITS  RESULTS         51 

and  the  earnest  seeker  after  God  talked  together  of  the 
things  of  the  Kingdom.  The  Ethiopian  himself  opened 
the  conversation  by  asking  of  whom  the  Prophet  spoke 
— whether  of  himself  or  of  some  other  man.  Then,  be- 
ginning with  this  significant  prophecy,  Philip  "preached 
unto  him  Jesus" — the  fulfilment  of  prophecy — the 
Christ  of  God.  That  they  travelled  some  distance 
together  we  may  gather  from  the  fact  that  during  their 
journey  Philip  had  time  not  only  to  show  how  prophecy 
was  fulfilled  in  Jesus,  and  to  tell  of  the  resurrection  and 
ascension  of  the  Saviour,  but  also  to  teach  him  how 
believers  were  admitted  into  the  Christian  Church 
through  the  rite  of  baptism.  All  this  he  did  with  such 
effect  that  when  the  Ethiopian  expressed  a  desire  to 
be  baptized,  Philip  was  satisfied  that  he  had  attained 
a  knowledge  of  the  truth  sufficient  to  warrant  this.^ 
Presently,  as  they  drove  along,  they  came  to  a  stream 
or  pool  of  water,  and  there  the  chariot  was  stopped. 
In  presence  of  the  whole  retinue,  the  teacher  and 
the  new  convert — following  Jewish  custom — stepped 
down  together  into  the  water,^  and  the  dark-skinned 
representative  of  far-off  Ethiopia  was  baptized  into  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ.  Tradition  says  that  when  he  went 
home  he  laboured  to  evangelise  his  countrymen,  and 
thus  a  ray  of  Gospel  light  was  carried  into  African  dark- 
ness. Philip's  obedience  was  rewarded  ;  the  desert  had 
been  a  fruitful  field,  and  the  soul  seeking  God  had 
learned  that  God  Himself  is  ever  seeking  such.  A 
further  step  had  been  taken  in  spreading  the  faith  of 
Jesus.  Immediately  after  the  baptism  Philip  departed  as 
suddenly  and  mysteriously  as  he  had  appeared,  and  soon 
he  was  found  at  Azotus  ^  doing  the  work  of  an  evangelist 
and  journeying  northward  till  he  reached  Csesarea,  where 
for  a  time  he  made  his  home. 

1  Verse  37  is  not  in  the  oldest  MSS.,  and  so  is  omitted  in  the 
Revised  Version. 

"^  In  this  instance  immersion  was  practised. 

S  Azotus  or  Ashdod,  one  of  the  five  cities  of  the  Philistines. 


52     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 


CHAPTER    IX 

THE   CONVERSION    OF   ST.    PAUL 

A  Persecutor  (chap.  ix.  i,  2). — Another  traveller 
now  claims  our  attention.  From  the  desert  road  on  the 
south  Luke  leads  us  to  another  desert  road  on  the  north 
-from  Gaza,  "the  gateway  to  Egypt,"  to  Damascus, 
"  the  gateway  of  the  East."  First,  however,  he  gives  us 
a  glimpse  of  what  has  been  going  on  in  Jerusalem.  There 
the  fires  of  persecution  are  still  burning,  and  if  less 
fiercely  than  before,  it  is  only  from  want  of  fuel  wherewith 
to  feed  them.  In  one  sense  the  persecution  had  been 
successful,  for  it  seemed  to  have  almost  cleared  Jerusalem 
of  Christians,  very  few  except  the  Apostles  remaining 
there.  At  first  the  refugees  sought  shelter  in  the  towns 
and  villages  of  Judaea  and  Samaria,  but  by  and  by  they 
travelled  farther,  going  as  far  as  Phoenicia  and  Syria. 
After  all,  however,  the  success  of  the  persecution  was 
doubtful,  for,  as  the  disciples  carried  their  Christian  faith 
everywhere  with  them,  the  result  had  been  to  spread 
Christianity  throughout  the  whole  land,  and  the  persecutors 
were  beginning  to  realise  that  either  they  would  be  foiled 
in  their  purpose,  or  they  must  follow  the  fugitives  to 
those  strange  cities.  One  of  those  persecutors — the 
most  bitter  of  all — Luke  sketches  for  us  in  a  single 
phrase.  He  is  yet  to  fill  a  large  place  in  the  Book 
of  Acts,  so  we  pause  a  moment  to  note  what  manner  of 
man  he  is.  One  glimpse  of  him  we  had  before,  for 
he  was  the  young  man  of  whom  we  read  as  standing  by 
at  the  murder  of  Stephen, ^  holding  the  clothes  of  the 
murderers  and  approving  their  deed.  Saul  of  Tarsus  is  his 
name.  He  was  a  native  of  Tarsus  in  Cilicia,  his  parents 
being  Jews  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  who  adhered  strictly 
to  the  Jewish  faith  and  customs.     Thus  by  birth  he  was 

1  Chap.  vii.  58. 


THE  CONVERSION  OF  ST.  PAUL  53 

a  Hellenist  or  Greek-speaking  Jew,  but  though  Greek  was 
his  native  language,  he  was  familiar  also  with  Hebrew.  ^ 
At  the  time  of  Stephen's  death  he  was  probably  about 
thirty-three  years  of  age,  and  early  writers  describe  him 
as  of  short  stature,  with  a  high  forehead  and  a  winsome, 
attractive  expression  of  countenance.  Quick  and  ener- 
getic, intensely  zealous,  and  of  great  earnestness  of 
purpose,  he  was  one  who  never  could  be  lukewarm  in 
his  religion.  After  being  educated  at  Tarsus,  he  was 
sent  to  Jerusalem  to  study  in  the  Rabbinical  schools, 
and  there  had  for  his  teacher  Gamaliel,  the  most 
celebrated  of  all  the  Rabbis.^  Teacher  and  pupil  were 
destined  afterwards  to  meet  in  strange  places,  where 
doubtless  both  would  recall  the  intercourse  of  those 
student  days.  His  father  and  his  teacher  both  being 
Pharisees,  Saul  naturally  grew  up  a  Pharisee  also,^  and 
from  his  father  he  inherited  the  privilege  of  being  a 
Roman  citizen.* 

In  those  days  it  was  customary  for  Greek  Jews  to 
have,  in  addition  to  their  Jewish  name,  another,  which 
was  either  Greek  or  Roman,  and  so  this  man  is  known  to 
us  by  two  names — the  one,  Saul,  being  Jewish,  and  the 
other,  Paul,  Roman.  While  he  laboured  among  the 
Jews,   Luke  calls  him  by  his  Jewish  name ;   when  his 

1  See  chap.  xxi.  40. 

2  Gamaliel. — See  page  35,  note  2. 

3  A  Pharisee. — See  chap,  xxiii.  6 ;  xxvi.  4,  5. 

4  A  Roman  citizen. — Roman  citizens  enjoyed  great  privileges. 
To  scourge  one  was  illegal  (see  chaps,  xvi.  37,  38  ;  xxii.  26-29  ;  xxiii. 
27).  If  one  was  unjustly  treated  in  a  criminal  trial  he  had  a  right  to 
appeal  direct  to  the  Emperor  himself.  Thus  Paul  when  tried  before 
Festus  appealed  to  Caesar  (chap.  xxv.  11,  xxvi.  32).  This  privilege 
of  Roman  citizenship  might  be  obtained  in  several  ways  :  (i)  By 
birth  in  a  Roman  colony  ;  (2)  by  inheritance  ;  (3)  by  its  being  con- 
ferred as  a  reward  for  some  special  service  rendered  to  the  state  ;  (4) 
by  purchase  (chap.  xxii.  28).  Paul  could  not  be  entitled  to  it  from 
his  being  bom  in  Tarsus,  for,  although  a  free  city,  Tarsus  did  not 
possess  the  free  citizenship.  He  inherited  it,  he  tells  us,  from  his 
father  (chap.  xxii.  28).  It  had  been  conferred  upon  his  father  in 
one  of  the  above  ways,  probably  as  a  reward  for  service  to  the  state, 
and  so  had  descended  to  Paul.  In  the  reign  of  Augustus— the 
period  in  which  Paul  was  bom — it  was  a  privilege  highly  prized 
and  jealously  guarded. 


54     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

labours  extended  to  the  Gentiles  he  calls  him  by  his 
Roman  name. 

This,  then,  is  the  man  who  now  arrests  our  attention 
as  a  leader  among  the  persecutors  in  Jerusalem.  Luke 
describes  him  as  positively  "  breathing  ^  out  threatenings 
and  slaughter  against  the  disciples  of  the  Lord."^  He 
was  "exceedingly  mad  against  them,"^  and,  enraged  at 
finding  that  the  persecution  had  only  spread  the  Christian 
faith,  he  determined  to  follow  some  of  the  fugitives  tc 
the  strange  cities  where  they  had  found  shelter.  The 
Sanhedrin  had  authority  over  all  foreign  synagogues,  and 
it  was  now  proposed  to  bring  back  the  fugitives  for  trial 
before  the  supreme  court  itself.  For  this  work  Saul 
volunteered  his  services.  He  went  to  the  high  priest 
and  requested  that  he  might  be  furnished  with  letters  to 
the  synagogues  in  Damascus,*  giving  him  the  necessary 
authority.  Having  obtained  these,  and  secured  an  escort 
and  a  guard  of  soldiers  for  his  protection,  he  prepared  to 
start. 

Journeying  towards  Damascus  (chap.  ix.  3-9). 

— Perhaps  no  journey  was  ever  undertaken  in  which  so 
much  interest  centres  as  this  one.  The  distance  from 
Jerusalem  to  Damascus  was  about  140  miles,  and  there 
were  two  roads,  by  either  of  which  the  journey  would 

1  Breatlllng  out. — Perhaps  better  "  breathing."  He  seemed 
to  live  in  an  atmosphere  of  threatenings  and  slaughter. 

2  The  disciples  of  tlie  Lord.— We  are  not  told  of  any  other 
executions  besides  Stephen's  in  which  Saul  took  part,  but  from  his  own 
words  we  learn  that  there  were  others.  In  chap.  xxvi.  lo  he  says, 
"  When  they  were  put  to  death,  I  gave  my  vote  against  them."  It 
has  been  suggested  that  his  zeal  in  connection  with  the  death  of 
Stephen  led  to  his  being  elected  a  member  of  the  Sanhedrin,  and  so 
in  the  later  stages  of  the  persecution  he  took  a  judicial  part  and  gave 
his  vote  against  them.  There  are  no  fewer  than  eight  different 
passages  in  which  Paul  refers  with  feelings  of  keen  remorse  lo  the 
part  he  took  in  this  persecution. 

3  See  chap.  xxvi.  lo,  ii. 

4  Damascus,  one  of  the  oldest  cities  in  the  world,  is  situated  on 
a  singularly  fertile  plain  watered  by  the  river  Abana.  From  a  very 
early  period  it  was  associated  with  the  history  of  the  Jews,  and  at 
this  time  it  was  ruled  by  a  governor  under  Aretas  (see  2  Cor.  xi. 
32),  an  Arabian  prince  tributary  to  Rome.  In  634  a.d.  it  was  taken 
by  the  Mohammedan  Arabs,  and  became  the  capital  of  the  Moham- 
medan world.     It  is  still  a  city  of  150,000  inhabitants. 


THE  CONVERSION  OF  ST.  PAUL  55 

occupy  about  five  or  six  days.  Three  distinct  accounts 
of  the  journey  are  given — one  the  narrative  by  Luke 
in  this  chapter,  and  two  by  Paul  himself.  ^  Yet  it 
is  surprising  how  little  we  know  of  the  details  of  its 
circumstances.  We  know  enough,  however,  to  enable  us 
to  picture  to  ourselves  the  scene  in  Jerusalem  as  he  set 
forth.  Amidst  the  clattering  of  horses'  feet,  the  ringing  of 
armour,  and  the  shouting  of  the  rough  soldiers,  the  caval- 
cade rode  out  of  the  city,  a  crowd  of  onlookers  watching 
the  start,  some  of  whom  looked  grave  as  they  thought 
of  the  errand  on  which  Saul  was  bent.  It  does  not  appear 
that  he  had  any  companion  with  whom  he  could  talk 
confidentially  as  an  equal  by  the  way.  Between  the 
learned  Rabbi  and  the  coarse,  rude  soldiers  there  could 
not  be  much  in  common,  so  that  for  nearly  a  week, 
while  crossing  the  open  country,  he  would  have  a  mono- 
tonous ride  with  his  own  thoughts  for  his  company. 
These  can  hardly  have  been  very  cheerful.  From 
time  to  time  the  party  passed  through  scenes  associated 
with  the  name  of  that  Jesus  whose  followers  he  was 
persecuting.  This  itself  must  have  wakened  thoughts 
of  the  faith  he  was  trying  so  unsuccessfully  to  uproot ; 
for  he  knew  he  had  not  succeeded.  He  had  tortured 
and  killed  the  Christians,  yet  the  Christian  faith  was 
spreading.  If  such  thoughts  came  to  him  he  crushed 
them  down  and  hurried  on.  Day  after  day  it  was  the 
same.  He  had  been  "  exceedingly  mad  "  against  those 
Christians  before  he  left  Jerusalem,  and  his  excitement 
does  not  seem  to  have  lessened  during  his  ride.  Im- 
patiently he  pressed  forward,  till  at  length  they  reached 
an  eminence,  when  suddenly  Damascus  in  its  marvel- 
lous beauty  lay  before  them.  Its  gray  houses,  with 
towers  and  spires,  glittered  in  the  sunshine,  all  set  in 
the  rich  green  of  the  surrounding  country,  where 
the  gardens  and  vineyards  were  kept  fresh  and  bright 
by  the  clear  waters  of  the  Abana  and  Pharpar,^  those 
rivers  of  Damascus.     It   was  high   noon,   and   in   the 

1  Chap.  ix.  1-9 ;  xxii.  6-io ;  xxvi.  12-19. 
2  See  2  Kings  v.  12. 


56     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

cloudless  Syrian  sky  the  sun  shone  fiercely  overhead. 
It  was  usual  for  travellers  to  stop  and  rest  during  the 
mid-day  heat ;  but  it  was  Saul  who  directed  the  move- 
ments of  this  company,  and  Saul  would  not — perhaps 
could  not — rest.  Suddenly  a  startling  blaze  of  light,  more 
brilliant  than  that  noon-day  sun,i  shone  round  them  and 
they  all  fell  to  the  ground.  The  soldiers  quickly  rose  to 
their  feet,  partially  recovering  themselves,  but  Saul  lay 
prostrate,  stricken  blind.  Presently  a  sound  like  the 
rumbling  of  far-off  thunder  was  heard.  All  of  them  heard 
it,  but  Saul,  filled  with  terror  and  amazement,  recog- 
nised in  it  a  voice  speaking  directly  to  him,  and  calling 
him  by  name.  Before  his  soul  there  shone  the  glory  of 
a  heavenly  vision,  in  the  midst  of  which  he  beheld  the 
risen  Jesus, ^  from  whose  glorified  lips  he  heard  the 
startling  ■  question,  "  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou 
Me?"  From  his  stricken  soul  he  answers,  "Who  art 
thou,  Lord?"  and  receives  the  reply,  "  I  am  Jesus  whom 
thou  persecutest :  it  is  hard  for  thee  to  kick  against  the 
pricks."^  In  that  terrible  moment  the  heart  of  the 
proud  Pharisee  waked  to  a  new  conviction ;  his  strong, 
determined  will  was  subdued,  and  the  relentless  perse- 
cutor of  the  disciples  of  Jesus,  lying  in  the  dust  and  look- 
ing up  to  that  same  Jesus,  acknowledges  Him,  saying, 
•'Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do?"  "Arise," 
was  the  answer ;  "go  into  the  city,  and  it  shall  be  told 
thee  what  thou  must  do."  Trembling  with  excitement, 
Saul  rose  from  the  ground.  What  had  happened  to 
him  his  companions  could  not  comprehend.  They  too 
had  been  startled  by  the   light,  and  had  heard   the 

1  There  Shlned,  etc. — In  chap.  xxii.  6  we  are  told  that  the  time 
was  "about  noon,"  and  in  chap.  xxvi.  13  Paul  says  that  "at  mid- 
day  he  saw  a  light  from  heaven  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun." 

2  The  risen  Jesus. — In  the  midst  of  this  glory  Saul  saw  Jesus, 
and  therefore  he  afterwards  included  himself  among  those  who  were 
Apostles  and  had  seen  Jesus  after  His  resurrection.  See  i  Cor.  ix.  i ; 
XV.  8. 

8  It  Is  hard  .  .  .  said  unto  him  (w.  5  and  6).— These  words 
are  not  given  in  the  Revised  Version,  as  they  are  not  found  in 
the  oldest  manuscripts.  They  have  probably  been  supplied  by  an 
ancient  copyist  from  chap.  xxvi.  14. 


THE  CONVERSION  OF  ST.  PAUL  57 

rumbling  sound,  which  they  took  for  thunder ;  but  Saul 
himself  knew  that  he  had  passed  through  the  great 
crisis  of  his  life.  The  risen  Christ  had  spoken  to  him, 
and  a  change,  sudden  and  complete,  had  come  over  him. 
Never  again  in  thought  or  deed  would  he  wrong  the 
disciples  of  Jesus,  for  Saul  of  Tarsus  was  converted  ! 
Jesus  was  now  his  Lord  !  His  companions,  however, 
knew  nothing  of  this.  They  saw  only  a  feeble,  broken 
man,  groping  helplessly  in  his  blindness,  and  in  pity 
they  took  him  by  the  hand  and  led  him  to  the  city. 
Slowly  the  cavalcade  moved  forward,  and  the  entry  into 
the  city  was  very  different  from  what  had  been  intended. 
Instead  of  coming  as  the  distinguished  commissioner  of 
the  Sanhedrin,  Saul  was  led  through  the  city  gate,  blind, 
tottering,  dejected.  He  who  had  come  to  drag  Christians 
to  prison  now  prayed  that  even  the  humblest  of  those 
Christians  would  teach  him  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 
Like  the  Ethiopian  treasurer  on  the  southern  road,  this 
traveller  now  also  longed  to  be  taught  regarding  Him 
who  was  *'  led  as  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter." 

They  led  him  to  the  house  of  one  Judas,  in  the  long, 
straggling  street  which  leads  through  Damascus  from  its 
eastern  to  its  western  gate,  and  which  is  still  called  the 
Straight  Street. ^  There,  in  blindness  and  remorse,  in 
suffering  of  body  and  agony  of  soul,  unable  to  eat  or 
drink,  he  lay  for  three  days,  during  which  time  no  visitor 
or  friend  entered  the  house.  What  passed  in  his  soul 
during  these  days  none  can  tell.  God  was  dealing  with 
the  stricken  sinner.  At  length,  struggling  through  the 
spiritual  crisis,  he  sought  and  found  relief  in  prayer,  and 
arose  from  his  knees  a  changed  man.      Henceforth  Saul 

of  Tarsus  was  the  servant  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Welcomed  as  a  Brother  (chap.  ix.  10-19). — On 

the  third  day  a  visitor  came.  It  was  Ananias,  one  of 
the  Christians  of  Damascus,  whom  the  Lord  had  directed 

1  The  street  called  Straight.— The  thoroughfares  in  Eastern 
cities  do  not  change  much.  A  long  street  called  "Straight"  still 
runs  through  Damascus  from  east  to  west,  and  quite  probably  is  the 
same  in  which  Ananias  found  Saul  in  the  house  of  Judas. 


58     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

to  come.  Not  without  some  hesitation  had  the  good 
man  undertaken  the  commanded  duty,  but  when  he  came 
he  found  Saul  engaged  in  prayer,  and  at  once  addressed 
him  as  a  Christian  brother,  who,  though  he  had  been 
a  persecutor,  was  now  a  chosen  vessel  of  the  Lord. 
Laying  his  hand  on  the  beclouded  eyes,  and  speaking  in 
the  name  of  that  Jesus  who  had  appeared  to  him  in  the 
way,  he  bade  the  blind  man  "Arise  and  see,  and  be  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost."  Immediately  there  fell  from  his 
eyes  as  it  had  been  scales,  ^  and  he  arose  and  saw.  At 
the  invitation  and  by  the  hands  of  Ananias,  he  received 
the  sacrament  of  baptism,^  and  so  the  bitter  persecutor 
was  numbered  among  the  disciples  of  Jesus.  Making 
public  acknowledgment  of  his  faith,  he  gave  such  a 
testimony  in  the  synagogues  that  even  the  Christians 
themselves  were  amazed.  One  wonders  what  he  did 
with  his  commission  from  the  Sanhedrin  and  with  the 
letters  he  got  from  the  high  priest !  His  companions,  too, 
and  the  soldiers — what  became  of  them  ?  What  sort  of 
a  report  did  they  carry  back  to  Jerusalem  of  these  strange 
doings?  We  can  only  wonder.  One  thing,  however, 
we  do  know.  During  those  days  of  fellowship  with  the 
brethren  it  became  more  and  more  clear  to  Saul  that 
"  God  had  chosen  him  to  know  His  will  .  .  .  and  to  be 
a  witness  unto  all  men  of  what  he  had  seen  and  heard." 
In  this  we  have  the  key  to  his  future  life. 

Visit  to  Arabia  (chap.  ix.  20 ;  compare  Gal.  i. 
15-19). — If  we  had  only  the  Book  of  Acts  to  guide  us, 
we  might  suppose  that  Saul  at  once  plunged  into  the 
work  of  preaching,  but  when  we  turn  to  his  own  Epistle  to 
the  Galatians  we  find  that  the  events  of  three  years  have 
been  compressed  into  as  many  verses.  We  there  learn  that 
after  a  short  period  of  fellowship  with  Ananias  and  the 
brethren  in  Damascus  he  retired  into  Arabia, ^  where  he 
had  opportunity  for  much -needed  quiet   thought  and 

1  Scales.  —  Many  believe  that  this  blindness  left  permanent 
effects  on  Saul,  and  that  his  eyesight  was  weak  during  the  rest  of 
his  life. 

2  Baptism.— See  chap.  xxii.  i6. 

8  Into  Arabia.— See  Gal.  i.  16-19. 


THE  CONVERSION  OF  ST.  PAUL  59 

meditation,  as  well  as  for  prayer  and  devotion.  How 
long  he  remained  there  we  do  not  know,  but  he  tells  us 
that  it  was  not  till  three  years  after  his  conversion  that 
he  went  up  to  Jerusalem,  and  probably  the  greater  part 
of  that  time  was  spent  in  Arabia.  There  he  received 
those  revelations  which  fitted  him  to  be  the  Apostle  of 
the  Gentiles  and  the  most  remarkable  teacher  of  Chris- 
tianity. He  received  the  Gospel,  he  says,  not  from  the 
older  Apostles  or  from  those  who  were  disciples  before 
him,  but  by  direct  revelation  from  Jesus  Christ,  and 
probably  much  of  it  came  to  him  in  Arabia. 

Damascus  revisited  (chap.  ix.  20-22). — In  due 

time  Saul  returned  to  Damascus  fully  equipped — able 
to  preach  the  Gospel  in  its  fulness  and  with  power. 
In  the  synagogues  he  came  into  frequent  contact  with 
the  unbelieving  Jews.  With  his  learning  and  the  know- 
ledge of  Scripture  he  had  acquired  in  the  school  of 
Gamaliel  he  was  more  than  able  to  meet  them  in  argu- 
ment, proving  from  the  Scriptures  that  Jesus  was  the 
Christ.  The  elders  of  the  synagogue  became  alarmed, 
opposition  deepened  into  hatred,  and  before  long  they 
began  to  take  counsel  how  they  might  kill  him.  Warned 
by  a  friend,  Saul  might  have  escaped  ;  but  the  Jews  had 
gone  to  Aretas,  the  Governor,  and  lodged  a  charge  against 
him,  and  already  guards  were  set  to  watch  the  city  gates 
with  a  view  to  his  capture.  The  disciples,  however, 
conveyed  him  to  one  of  the  houses  on  the  city  wall,  and 
from  there,  when  night  had  fallen,  he  was  let  down 
in  a  basket  and  escaped.  It  was  a  sad  leave-taking. 
Without  a  word  of  farewell  he  disappeared  in  the  dark- 
ness, and  by  lonely  paths  through  the  gardens  and  vine- 
yards he  got  clear  away  from  the  city  ere  the  watchers 
at  the  gates  learned  that  their  prey  had  escaped. 
Strange  thoughts  must  have  been  in  his  heart  as  he 
walked  hurriedly  under  the  glittering  stars.  Three 
years  before  he  had  ridden  towards  Damascus,  the 
representative  of  the  Sanhedrin,  with  soldiers  behind 
him,  and  yet  withal  a  miserable  man.  Now  he  is 
escaping  from  it — a  hunted  disciple  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 


6o    STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

and  yet  with  joy  thrilling  in  his  heart.  Can  this  be  the 
eager  young  Pharisee  whom  we  saw  urging  on  the 
murderers  of  Stephen  ?  We  look  at  him  tramping  along 
in  the  moonlight,  and  we  feel  how  wondrously  the  faith 
of  Jesus  is  spreading. 

Back   to  Jerusalem    (chap.   ix.    23-31). —  All 

night  through,  the  solitary  traveller  walked  on  in  the 
direction  of  Lebanon,  leaving  Damascus  rapidly  behind 
him.  He  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  return  to 
Jerusalem,  but  it  was  a  long  journey,  and  several  days 
must  elapse  before  he  could  reach  it.  At  length,  how- 
ever, its  walls  and  towers  appeared.  Three  years  ago 
with  his  cavalcade  he  had  passed  out  through  those 
gates ;  now  he  is  entering  them  alone,  an  altered  man. 
He  does  not  think  of  seeking  Gamaliel  and  the  chief 
priests,  but  turns  rather  to  the  company  of  the  disciples. 
They,  however,  regard  him  with  suspicion,  and 
are  afraid  of  him.  Is  it  any  wonder?  They  had 
had  bitter  experience  of  Saul  of  Tarsus,  the  persecutor, 
and  they  do  not  seem  to  have  heard  what  had  taken 
place  in  Damascus.  Barnabas,^  however,  cordially 
received  him,  and  introduced  him  to  Peter  and  James, 
the  Lord's  brother,  the  former  of  whom  invited  him  to 
his  home,  where  he  remained  as  a  guest  for  fifteen 
days.  2  In  that  home  the  young  Pharisee  who  had 
sat  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel  now  sits  at  the  feet  of  the 
fisherman  of  Galilee,  learning  from  him  the  story  of 
Jesus.  During  those  days,  too,  he  visited  many  of  the 
synagogues  in  Jerusalem,  testifying  to  the  truth  of  the 
Gospel.  It  would  almost  seem  as  if  the  spirit  of  the 
martyred  Stephen  now  animated  him.  He  visited  the 
same  synagogues,  disputed  with  the  same  opponents  ^ — 

1  It  is  probable  that  Saul  and  Barnabas  had  been  intimate  in 
earlier  years.  The  culture  of  which  Tarsus  was  the  seat  would 
naturally  attract  a  student  like  Barnabas  from  Cyprus.  The  eager- 
ness of  Barnabas  afterwards  to  have  Saul's  co-operation  in  the  work 
at  Antioch  (chap.  xi.  25)  affords  confirmation  of  this  view.  Barnabas 
knew  enough  of  his  friend  to  believe  every  word  of  what  he  told  him 
as  to  his  conversion.  2  Gal   i.  18. 

3  Disputed  against  the  Grecians.— Those  Greek  Jews  who 
had  urged  the  death  of  Stephen.     It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the 


THE  CONVERSION  OF  ST.  PAUL  6i 

those  Hellenistic  Jews  at  whose  instigation  Stephen 
had  been  put  to  death, — and  with  the  same  result,  for 
very  soon  "they  went  about  to  slay  him."  News  of 
their  plotting  reached  the  disciples,  however,  and  they 
urged  Saul  to  depart.  They  conducted  him  to  Csesarea, 
on  the  coast,  whence  he  sailed  home  to  Tarsus  in 
Cilicia,  and  here  for  a  little  we  lose  sight  of  him.  It 
was  four  years  at  least — possibly  much  longer — since 
he  had  left  it,  a  bigoted  Pharisee ;  what  reception  he 
got  from  his  family  and  friends  when  he  returned  a 
humble  Christian  we  do  not  know.  Probably  he 
resumed  his  old  occupation  as  a  tent -maker.  He 
remained  in  Tarsus  for  several  years,  ^  and  from  that  city 
as  a  centre  he  did  the  work  of  an  evangelist  2  in  the  sur- 
rounding districts  of  Cilicia. ^ 

Peter's  Visitation  of  the  Churches  (chap.  ix. 

3i"35)' — Meantime  the  attention  of  those  persecuting 
priests  and  elders  at  Jerusalem  was  otherwise  occupied. 
They  were  engaged  in  trying  to  save  their  Temple  from 
a  terrible  desecration  that  threatened,*  and  for  a  time 
the  poor  persecuted  followers  of  Jesus  were  let  alone. 
The  Churches  had  rest,  and,  walking  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  and  in  the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  their 
number  was  multiplied.  Our  thoughts  are  now  turned 
from  Saul  to  Peter,  who  was  being  prepared  for  a  wider 

word  here  used,  "disputing,"  is  the  same  word  as  was  used  to 
describe  the  work  of  Stephen,  and  it  is  used  nowhere  else,  only 
the  attack  is  now  reversed.  Formerly  the  Jews  "disputed"  with 
Stephen  ;  now  Saul  disputes  with  them. 

1  Probably  from  40-42  a.d.  Of  this  period  Luke  tells  us  nothing. 
It  was  not  till  sixteen  years  later  that  he  met  Paul.  Besides,  the 
purpose  of  the  two  writers  is  different.  Luke  is  recording  the  out- 
ward facts  connected  with  the  spread  of  the  Gospel.  Paul  in  his 
Epistle  is  explaining  the  inward  facts  of  his  own  spiritual  history. 

2  Later  on  we  find  that  when  Paul  and  Barnabas  came  here  on 
their  first  missionary  journey  there  were  already  organised  churches 
which  must  have  been  founded  at  an  earlier  period — probably  by 
Saul  (chap.  xv.  41). 

8  Gal.  1.  21. 

*  In  the  year  40  a.d.  the  new  Emperor,  Caligula,  ordered  a  brass 
statue  of  himself  to  be  erected  in  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem.  This 
caused  great  consternation  among  the  Jews,  and  all  their  energies 
were  occupied  in  endeavouring  to  prevent  this  desecration  of  the 
holy  place.     In  these  efforts  they  were  ultimately  successful. 


62     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

development  of  Christianity  than  he  had  anticipated. 
He  had  been  labo.uring  among  the  churches  of  Judaea 
and  Samaria,  and  we  find  him  on  a  tour  of  visitation 
through  Judaea.  During  this  tour  two  striking  incidents 
occurred.  At  Lydda  ^  he  found  among  the  believers  a 
paralytic  named  ^neas,  who  had  been  bedridden  for 
eight  years,  and,  touched  with  compassion,^  he  healed 
him,  making  it  clear,  however,  that  he  himself  was  but 
a  servant,  and  that  it  was  in  reality  Jesus,  the  Divine 
healer,  whose  power  had  performed  the  mighty  work. 
A  profound  impression  was  created  by  the  miracle,  not 
only  in  Lydda,  but  throughout  the  whole  district  of 
Saron,^  and  with  many  this  deepened  into  conversion, 
and  they  became  followers  of  Jesus. 

Raising  the  Dead  (chap.  ix.  36-43).— While  thus 

engaged  at  Lydda,  Peter  received  an  urgent  message  from 
Joppa — probably  the  next  of  the  churches  in  his  pro- 
posed tour,  for  it  was  only  nine  miles  off — telling  him  of 
the  death  of  one  of  its  most  devoted  and  zealous  workers, 
a  woman  named  Tabitha  or  Dorcas,*  who  had  been 
conspicuous  for  her  charitable  and  kindly  deeds,  and 
begging  him^  to  come  there  at  once.  Doubtless  in 
their  grief  the  believers  longed  for  his  presence,  but  it 
would  seem  that  they  hoped  for  some  greater  thing  from 
his  coming ;  for,  instead  of  burying  the  remains  at 
once,  as  is  the  custom  in  the  East,  they  laid  them  in  an 
upper  chamber  and  waited  his  arrival.  Instantly  obey- 
ing the  call,  Peter  accompanied  the  messengers  on  their 
return,  and,  entering  the  death-chamber,  he  found  those 

1  Lydda. — The  Hebrew  Lod,  a  large  village  near  Joppa,  a  day's 
journey  (30  miles)  from  Jerusalem.  It  afterwards  became  the 
important  town  of  Diosopolis. 

2  As  in  the  case  of  the  cripple  at  the  Temple  gates  (chap.  iii.  6). 

3  Saron  or  Sharon. — The  plain  of  Sharon,  a  beautiful  and  fertile 
district  extending  along  the  Mediterranean  coast  from.  Joppa  to 
Caesarea. 

4  Tabitha  or  Dorcas. — "Tabitha"  is  the  Aramaic  or  corrupt 
Hebrew  form  of  a  proper  name  signifying  gazelle^  as  does  also  the 
Greek  word  "  Dorcas." 

6  Desiring  Mm,  etc.  (ver.  38).— The  best  manuscripts  read  "en- 
treating him,  delay  not  to  come  on  to  us."  So  also  in  the  R.V.  This 
makes  it  more  graphic. 


PREACHING   THE  GOSPEL  TO  GENTILES  63 

who  had  been  associated  with  Dorcas  in  her  deeds  of 
charity  weeping  beside  the  dead.  It  must  have  recalled 
to  his  memory  a  similar  scene  long  ago  at  which  he  him- 
self was  present — when  Jesus  restored  the  daughter  of 
Jairus  to  life.^  As  his  Master  had  done  that  day,  he 
now  put  forth  all  the  mourners.  Then,  after  kneeling  2 
in  prayer,  he  spoke  to  the  dead  in  words  that  sound 
like  an  echo  of  those  his  Master  had  used — "Tabitha, 
arise."  ^  The  sheeted  dead  heard  the  call,  the  colout 
came  to  the  pallid  cheeks,  the  closed  eyes  opened,  and 
Tabitha  looked  in  the  face  of  him  who  had  recalled  hei 
from  the  grave.  Again  doing  as  he  had  seen  his  Master 
do,  the  Apostle  took  the  maiden  by  the  hand  and  raised 
her  from  the  couch  of  death.  Then,  calling  those  who 
were  waiting  sorrowfully  in  another  chamber,  he  presented 
her  to  them  alive.  This  miracle  also  created  a  solemn 
impression,  and  many  were  won  to  the  faith  of  Christ. 
For  some  time  after  this  Peter  remained  in  Joppa,  lodging 
with  one  Simon,  a  tanner.  The  very  fact  that  he  lodged 
with  such  a  one  showed  that  his  Jewish  scruples  and 
prejudices  were  becoming  less.^  Very  soon  God  was  to 
lead  him  further  in  that  direction. 


CHAPTER   X 

PREACHING  THE   GOSPEL  TO   GENTILES 

The  Roman  Soldier  and  the  Church  of  Christ 

(chap.  X.  1-8). — We  meet  a  wonderful  variety  of  people 
as  we  follow  the  progress  of  Christianity.     Now  we  are 

1  See  Mark  v.  37-43. 

2  Kneeled  down. — Kneeling  in  prayer  was  a  customary  and 
appropriate  religious  form  among  the  Jews. 

3  Tabitha,  arise. — If  Peter  spoke  in  the  Aramaic  dialect — as  is 
most  probable — his  words  would  be  nearly  the  same  as  those  of  our 
Lord  :  Tabithu  cumi,  instead  of  Talitha  cuini. 

**  A  tanner.  —  So  disgraceful  was  this  occupation  considered 
among  the  Jews  that  it  is  said  a  wife  could  claim  a  divorce  if  her 
husband  became  a  tanner. 


64     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

led  away  to  Csesarea,  a  sea-coast  town  at  the  northern 
end  of  the  Plain  of  Sharon.  Csesarea,  which  was  the 
Roman  headquarters,  was  usually  the  residence  of  the 
procurators  or  Roman  governors.^  In  the  barracks  there 
five  cohorts  of  Roman  soldiers  were  stationed,  and  from 
among  these  Luke  selects  the  one  to  whom  he  next 
introduces  us.  He  is  an  officer  named  Cornelius,  a  cen- 
turion,2  commanding  a  cohort  which,  from  the  fact  of  its 
consisting  mainly  of  Italian  soldiers,  was  known  ?s  the 
Italian  Band.  This  Cornelius  was  a  devout  man — one 
of  those  who  had  so  benefited  by  their  association  with 
the  Jews  as  to  become  convinced  that  Israel's  God  was 
the  true  God,  and  who  accordingly  worshipped  in  the 
synagogue,  read  the  Jewish  Scriptures,  and  observed 
Jewish  customs,  although  not  going  so  far  as  to  become 
regular  proselytes.  By  the  care  with  which  he  instructed 
his  household,  and  by  his  liberality  in  almsgiving, 
Cornelius  gave  proof  of  his  piety.  While  engaged  in 
devotion  one  afternoon  about  three  o'clock^  he  beheld 
in  waking  vision*  an  angel,  who,  after  assuring  him 
that  his  prayers  and  his  alms  had  come  up  as  a  memorial 
before  God,  directed  him  to  send  to  Joppa  for  Peter, 
who  at  that  time  was  staying  with  one  Simon,  a  tanner,® 
whose  house  was  by  the  seaside,  and  who  would  instruct 
him  in  the  will  of  God.^  Immediately  Cornelius  called 
a  soldier  who  was  like-minded  with  himself  in  religious 
matters,  and  dispatched  him  to  Joppa  with  the  message. 

1  See  chap,  xxiii.  23-26 ;  and  chap.  xxv.  1-4. 

2  A  centurion,  i.e.  an  officer  commanding  a  "  century,"  one  of  the 
oldest  divisions  of  the  Roman  army,  numbering  100  men.  Six 
centuries  made  a  "co^iort,"  and  ten  cohorts  a  "  legion,"  so  that  the 
nominal  strength  of  a  legion  was  6000  men.  Several  Roman  cen- 
turions are  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament,  and  all  of  them  in  a 
favourable  light.  See  chap,  xxvii.  3 ;  Matt.  viii.  5 ;  Luke  vii.  2 ; 
xxiii.  47. 

3  The  ninth  hour,  i.e.  3  p.m. 

4  Evidently. — "Openly"  (R.V.),  i.e.  he  was  not  in  a  trance,  as 
Peter  was  afterwards,  but  while  he  was  praying  the  heavenly  visitor 
approached  and  spoke  to  him. 

5  Simon  would  dwell  outside  the  town  and  near  the  sea  because 
of  his  trade. 

6  He  Shall  tell ...  to  do. — These  words  are  not  in  the  oldest 
manuscripts,  and  so  they  are  omitted  in  the  R.V.     See  chap.  xi.  14* 


PREACHING   THE  GOSPEL  TO  GENTILES  6' 

While  he  and  his  companions  are  on  their  way  thithei 
Luke  leads  us  on  before,  that  he  may  tell  us  of  anothei 
Divine  vision  which  was  preparing  their  way  before 
them.     Let  us  try  if  we  can  picture  it  to  ourselves. 

Noontide  at  Joppa  (chap.  x.  9-16). — It  is  high 
noon,  and  the  little  town  of  Joppa,  lying  close  by  the 
sea,  is  bright  in  the  sunshine,  picturesque  and  oriental- 
looking,  its  low,  flat-roofed  houses  interspersed  with  the 
green  patches  of  gardens  and  trees.  Beneath  the  town 
stretches  a  narrow  strip  of  sandy  beach,  beyond  which 
the  blue  tideless  Mediterranean  sparkles  in  the  sunlight, 
its  waves  breaking  into  shining  foam  over  the  jagged 
reefs  which  make  this  roadstead  so  dangerous  to  shipping. 
A  hot  stillness  rests  over  the  place,  for  few  people 
are  to  be  seen  moving  about  at  this  hour,  and  all  is 
quiet.  At  the  south-west  corner  of  the  town  is  the 
house  of  Simon,  the  tanner,  low  and  flat-roofed  like 
those  around  it,  and  probably  then,  as  now,^  over- 
shado  •.  ed  by  a  branching  fig-tree.  On  its  flat  roof  is 
a  ma  \  who  has  retired  there  for  his  mid-day  prayer.  ^ 
After  kneeling  for  a  little  time  he  seats  himself  under 
the  shade  of  the  fig-tree  and  gives  himself  up  to  medita- 
tion. It  is  Peter,  whom  we  saw  but  lately  in  the 
death-chamber  of  Dorcas.  On  his  brown,  sunburnt 
face  there  is  a  tired,  perplexed  look,  for  questions  that 
are  pressing  themselves  upon  the  attention  of  the  Church 
cause  him  anxiety.  One  question  in  particular  makes 
him  anxious.  It  concerns  the  Gentiles,  so  many  of 
whom  desire  to  become  Christians.  Must  they  be  made 
to  comply  with  all  the  legal  forms  and  requirements  of 
the  Mosaic  law  before  they  can  be  admitted  to  member- 
ship in  the  Christian  Church  ?  He  had  great  difficulty 
as  to  this,  and  he  longed  and  prayed  for  God's  guidance. 
While  he  sat  meditating  he  was  conscious  of  beginning 

1  It  IS  far  from  improbable  that  the  house  may  have  been  on  the 
very  spot  where  the  one  pointed  to  by  tradition  now  stands. 

2  The  roofs  were  flat,  and  as  access  to  them  could  be  obtained 
from  outside  without  passing  through  the  house,  the  house-top 
formed  a  convenient  place  of  retirement  and  was  often  used  as  a 
place  of  devotion  (see  Jer.  xix.  13 ;  Zeph.  i.  5). 


56     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

to  feel  hungry,  but  the  mid-day  meal  was  only  then 
being  prepared,  and  while  he  waited  it  seemed  as  if 
his  hunger,  his  perplexity,  and  his  prayer  for  Divine 
guidance  combined  to  present  to  him  a  curious  vision. 
Half-waking,  half-dreaming  in  the  heat  and  the  stillness, 
he  fell  into  a  trance,^  in  which  he  saw  a  great  white 
sheet,  knit  together  at  the  four  corners,  being  let  down 
from  heaven  close  beside  him,  and  containing,  like  some 
great  ark,  animals  of  every  sort,  clean  and  unclean, 
with  birds  also  and  reptiles,  while  a  voice  beside  him 
said  to  him  in  his  hunger,  "Rise,  Peter  ;  kill,  and  eat." 
All  his  life,  however,  he  had  been  careful  in  observing 
the  ceremonial  law  regarding  meats,  and  even  hunger 
would  not  lead  him  to  break  it  now.  "Not  so.  Lord," 
he  replied,  "for  I  have  never  eaten  anything  unholy  or 
unclean."  But  again  that  mysterious  voice  spoke  to 
him,  "What  God  hath  declared  clean,  call  not  thou 
common."  ^  Thrice  was  this  repeated  ;  thrice  were  the 
same  words  spoken,  and  then  the  sheet  was  drawn  up 
to  heaven,  and  the  vision  vanished.  The  trance  was 
over.  Peter  was  again  alone  with  his  own  thoughts. 
All  around  him  was  hushed  and  still,  but  in  the  quiet 
there  kept  ringing  in  his  ear  that  heavenly  message, 
"What  God  hath  cleansed,  call  not  thou  common  !" 
What  could  it  mean  ?  That  he  was  being  taught  some 
Divine  lesson  he  felt  sure,  but  how  or  to  what  it  was  to 
be  applied  he  knew  not. 

The  Vision  interpreted  —  Prayer  answered 

(chap.  X.  17-48). — As  he  sat  wondering,  Peter  heard  the 
sound  of  voices  in  the  courtyard  below.  Three  men — 
one  of  them  in  the  garb  of  a  Roman  soldier — had  come 
and  were  inquiring  for  him.  It  was  the  deputation  sent 
from  Csesarea  by  Cornelius.      Prompted  and  directed  by 

1  A  trance,  i.e.  an  ecstasy,  so  that  the  vision  was  seen  by  him  only 
mentally  as  in  a  dream. 

2  The  heaven-sent  voice  revokes  the  command  of  the  ceremonial 
law,  as  Jesus  had  indicated  would  be  the  case.  Compare  Matt.  xv. 
II,  "Not  that  which  goeth  into  the  mouth  defileth  a  maa."  Also 
Mark  vii.  18,  19.  Mark  (who  is  said  to  have  received  much  of  his 
information  from  Peter)  adds  the  significant  commentary,  "  This  he 
said,  making  all  meats  clean."    See  R.V. 


PREACHING  THE  GOSPEL  TO  GENTILES  67 

the  Holy  Spirit,  Peter  at  once  descended  and  announced 
himself  to  them,  and  as  soon  as  they  had  delivered  their 
message  he  acceded  to  the  request  they  brought  and 
agreed  to  accompany  them,  at  the  same  time  offering 
them  the  simple  hospitality  of  the  East.  It  was  too  hot, 
and  they  were  too  tired,  to  start  immediately  on  their 
homeward  journey,  so  they  rested  in  Simon's  house  till 
the  following  morning.  Peter  fully  realised  that  impor- 
tant consequences  might  result  from  that  journey,  and 
with  a  caution  unusual  in  him  he  asked  six  1  of  the 
Jewish  2  brethren  in  Joppa  to  accompany  him,  so  that 
if  occasion  should  arise  they  might  be  able  to  testify  of 
all  that  might  take  place.  The  journey  from  Joppa  to 
Csesarea  occupied  them  two  days ;  ^  and  on  their  arrival 
they  found  that  Cornelius  had  been  so  confident  that 
Peterwould  come  that  he  had  already  assembled  his  house- 
hold and  friends  to  receive  him.  At  the  threshold  the 
Roman  soldier  himself  met  them,  and  prostrated  himself 
at  the  Apostle's  feet.*  Peter,  however,  gently  raised  him, 
and,  doubtless  to  the  amazement  of  those  who  accompanied 
him, — perhaps  almost  to  his  own  surprise, — walked  side 
by  side  with  him,  conversing^  freely  as  together  they 
went  into  the  house  where  the  Gentile  friends  of  Cornelius 
were  assembled.  They  mutually  explained  how  each  in 
seeking  the  other  had  been  following  the  direction  of 
God,  and  then  the  Apostle  addressed  the  gathering,  tell- 
ing how  he  had  been  led  to  believe  that  God  no  longer 
desired  the  Gentiles  to  be  regarded  as  unclean.  He  was 
now  satisfied  that  "in  every  nation  he  that  feareth  God 

1  Six. — See  chap.  xi.  12. 

2  Jewisll. — See  ver.  45,  "  They  of  the  circumcision." 

3  The  morrow  after. — Their  road  lay  along  the  coast,  and  as 
the  town  of  Apollonia  was  situated  just  about  half-way  between 
Joppa  and  Caesarea,  it  is  most  likely  they  would  pass  the  night 
there. 

4  Worshipped  him. — Cornelius  was  a  Roman  and  a  soldier- 
not  an  oriental.  This  act  of  prostration,  therefore,  implied  in  his 
case  religious  reverence,  and  marks  his  sense  of  Peter  being  God's 
messenger.  Peter  clearly  regarded  it  as  implying  worship,  and 
declined  it.     Jesus  accepts  such  worship  (see  Matt.  viii.  2). 

5  Talked  with  him. — The  Greek  word  used  indicates  a  con- 
versation of  some  length  which  took  place  outside  the  house. 


68     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

and  worketh  righteousness  will  be  accepted."  He  was 
then  proceeding  to  recall  to  them  what  they  had  already 
heard  of  Jesus  and  the  Gospel  when  suddenly — even 
while  he  was  speaking — the  Holy  Ghost  came  upon  those 
unbaptized  Gentiles,  even  as  He  had  come  upon  the  Jews 
and  the  Apostles  themselves.  They  began  to  speak 
with  tongues,  praising  God  as  if  it  were  another  Pente- 
cost. Peter's  Jewish  companions  were  amazed  and 
impressed,  while  the  Apostle  himself — already  partly 
prepared  for  something  like  this  by  his  vision — boldly 
asked  whether  any  could  forbid  the  waters  of  baptism  to 
men  so  manifestly  baptized  with  the  Holy  Spirit.^  None 
cared  to  offer  objection,  and  Peter,  following  the  usual 
Apostolic  practice  of  committing  the  administration  of 
baptism  to  others,^ — perhaps  also  thinking  it  would  be 
well  to  have  the  concurrence  and  co-operation  of  those 
Jewish  brethren, — directed  them  to  baptize  Cornelius, 
with  his  household  and  friends.  Thereafter  he  accepted 
an  invitation  to  tarry  with  them  certain  days,  thus  still 
further  breaking  through  his  former  rigid  observance  of 
the  ceremonial  law.^ 


CHAPTER   XI 

THE   DEVELOPMENT   AND   SPREAD  OF   CHRISTIANITY 

The  Problem  of  the  Gentiles  (chap.  xi.  1-18). — 

The  Christian  Church  had  taken  a  great  step  forward. 
Hitherto  all  who  were  baptized  into  its  membership  had 
been  Jews.  The  Apostles  did  not  forget  the  command 
of  their  Master  that  they  should  be  witnesses  for  Him  to 

1  Baptized. — It  will  be  noticed  that  although  the  bestowal  of 
God's  Spirit  had  been  made  so  apparent,  yet  Peter  does  not  omit 
the  outward  sign  which  Christ  had  ordained  (Matt,  xxviii.  19)  for 
the  admission  of  members  into  His  Church. 

2  Compare  i  Cor.  i.  14-17. 

3  Peter,  however,  afterwards  wavered  in  this,  and  was  rebuked 
for  it  by  Paul.     See  Gal.  ii.  11-13. 


DEVELOPMENT  OF  CHRISTIANITY        69 

the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth,  and  they  knew  that 
one  day  the  Gentiles  would  receive  the  Gospel ;  but  they 
interpreted  that  to  mean  that  the  Gentiles  would  become 
proselytes  to  the  Jewish  faith,  receiving  circumcision 
and  conforming  to  the  observances  of  the  Mosaic  law, 
and  that  thereafter  they  would  as  Jews  be  received  by 
baptism  into  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  Peter 
had  now  gone  a  long  way  beyond  that.  Not  only 
had  he  associated  with  and  preached  to  Gentiles,  but 
he  had  through  baptism  admitted  some  of  them  to  the 
membership  of  the  Christian  Church  on  equal  terms  with 
the  Jews.  Tidings  of  these  doings  reached  Jerusalem 
before  Peter's  return,  and  caused  something  like  con- 
sternation among  many  of  the  disciples,  even  some  of 
the  Apostles  being  shocked.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  he 
got  back,  he  was  taken  to  task  for  what  he  had  done, 
and  especially  for  having  eaten  with  the  uncircumcised,! 
as  if  there  were  no  difference  between  them  and  the 
children  of  Abraham.  Peter's  defence  was  that  in  all 
these  things  he  had  followed  the  leading  of  God.  He 
therefore  rehearsed  the  whole  matter  in  order.  He  told 
them  of  the  vision  which  taught  him  he  must  not  make 
distinctions  where  God  had  made  none,  and  then  of  the 
Spirit's  bidding  him  go  with  the  messengers  whom 
Cornelius  by  Divine  direction  had  sent  for  him.  Finally 
he  told  how  the  Holy  Ghost  had  fallen  upon  those 
Gentiles  even  as  He  had  come  upon  themselves  at 
Pentecost.  These  things,  he  said,  convinced  him  that 
God  was  leading  him,  and  "  What  was  I,"  he  asked, 
"that  I  should  withstand  God?"  In  that  question  he 
summed  up  his  argument.  When  he  had  finished,  a 
silent  stillness  rested  on  the  gathering.  If  any  still  had 
doubts  they  held  their  peace,  and  presently  all  united  in 
praising  God  that  He  had  granted  to  the  Gentiles  also 
repentance  unto  life.     Thus  it  was  that  the  great  forward 

1  Men  unciroumcised. — The  expression  used  shows  the  strength 
of  feeling  against  what  Peter  had  done.  Those  with  whom  he  had 
associated  are  not  called  Gentiles  but  "men  uncircumcised,"  tli« 
word  of  greatest  reproach  that  could  be  used  by  a  Jew. 


70     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

step  was  formally  taken.  The  Jewish  Christians  in 
Jerusalem  acknowledged  the  Gentiles  as  Christian 
brethren  ;  and  that  had  come  to  pass  to  which  Stephen 
the  martyr  had  pointed^ 

The  Problem  solved  at  Antiocii  (chap.  xi.  19-21). 

— We  have  just  seen  Christian  ideas  expand  so  as  to 
acknowledge  Gentiles  as  Christian  brethren.  We  are 
now  to  see  the  Christian  Church  extend  so  as  to  include 
Gentiles  in  a  way,  unknown  before.  By  the  persecution 
which  followed  the  death  of  Stephen  many  of  the 
disciples  were  driven  out  of  Palestine  altogether.  Some 
of  them  crossed  the  Galilean  hills  into  Phoenicia ;  ^ 
others  crossed  the  Lebanon  to  Damascus  ;  not  a  few  found 
refuge  in  Cyprus  and  other  islands  of  the  Levant,  while 
some  undei;took  a  journey  of  over  three  hundred  miles  by 
road  to  go  to  Antioch,^  the  splendid  capital  of  Syria. 
Already  there  were  many  Jews  in  Antioch,  for  one  of 
the  kings  of  Syria  had  induced  Jews  to  settle  there  by 
giving  them  equal  rights  with  the  Greeks.  But,  indeed, 
almost  wherever  they  went  those  fugitive  disciples  found 
Jews  and  synagogues,  and  eveiy where  they  spoke  to  their 
fellow-countrymen  about  the  faith  of  Jesus;  but,  keeping  to 
the*  exclusive  spirit  and  custom  of  their  Jewish  religion, 
they  preached  the  Gospel  to  none  but  Jews  only.  In 
Antioch,  however,  some  Greek-speaking  Jews  who 
hailed  from  Cyprus  and  Cyrene,^  yielding  to  the  impulse 
of  their  Christian  hearts,  broke  through  the  restraints  of 
Jewish  ceremonial  and  boldly  preached  the  Gospel,  not 
only  to  the  Jews  in  the  synagogue,  but  also  to  the 
Gentiles  ^  in  the  city.      This  boldness  was  soon  justified, 

1  Phoenice  or  Phoenicia  (R.V.),  the  district  north  of  Palestine 
in  which  were  situated  the  towns  of  Tyre  and  Sidon. 

-  Antiocll,  the  capital  of  Syria,  situated  on  the  Orontes,  ahout 
fifteen  miles  from  the  sea,  its  seaport  being  Seleucia,  was  one  of 
tlie  most  important  cities  of  antiquity.  It  was  weahhy  and 
notoriously  profligate,  yet  we  shall  see  it  become  a  great  centre  of 
Gentile  Christianity.  Nicolas,  a  proselyte  of  Antioch,  was  one  of 
"  the  seven  "  (chap.  vi.  5). 

3  Cyrene.  —  A  fertile  district  in  the  north  of  Africa,  now 
Tripoli.     Simon,  a  Cyrenian,  is  mentioned  in  Matt.  xxvi.  73. 

•1  Unto  the  Grecians  =  "unto  the  Greeks  also,"  as  in  R.V. 
The  best  manuscripts  have  "Greeks." 


DEVELOPMENT  OF  CHRISTIANITY        71 

for  God's  blessing  was  so  manifestly  on  the  work  that 
many  of  those  Gentiles  became  disciples  of  Jesus.  To 
the  more  strict  of  the  Jewish  Christians,  however,  this 
gave  offence,  and  they  informed  the  Apostles  in  Jerusalem 
of  what  was  going  on.  It  is  curious  to  look  back  now 
and  notice  that,  while  in  connection  with  the  case  of 
Cornelius  the  Apostles  were  discussing  whether  the 
Gentiles  might  be  admitted  as  disciples  or  not,  God  had 
in  another  way  settled  the  same  question  in  the  far-off  city 
of  Antioch,  and  a  great  number  of  them  had  believed. 

The  Cradle  of  Gentile  Christianity  (chap.  xi. 

22-30). — The  news  of  the  great  work  going  on  in  Syria 
excited  much  interest,  not  unmixed  with  apprehension,  in 
Jerusalem,  and  the  Apostles  resolved  to  send  some  one  to 
inquire  into  them'.tter.  For  this  mission  they  made  choice 
of  Barnabas,  and  no  fitter  man  could  have  been  found. 
Himself  a  Hellenistic  Jew  and  a  native  of  Cyprus,  he 
was  generous  in  disposition  and  spiritually-minded,  with  a 
keen  insight  and  a  sound  judgment,  which  admirably  fitted 
him  for  the  duty.  The  arrival  of  a  man  like  Barnabas  at 
such  a  time  was  an  unspeakable  blessing  to  Antioch,  for  he 
immediately  recognised  that  the  grace  of  God  was  at  work 
among  those  people,  and  he  was  glad.  Satisfied  of  their 
genuine  conversion,  he  exhorted  them  to  continue  steadfast 
in  the  faith.  Realising  the  critical  value  of  such  an  oppor- 
tunity, he  stayed  on  in  Antioch,  and  through  his  ministry 
new  converts  were  won  in  still  larger  numbers.  So 
greatly  did  the  work  increase  under  his  care  that  by  and 
by  he  felt  the  need  of  a  colleague  to  share  it  with  him. 
Immediately  he  bethought  him  of  one — a  friend  of  his 
early  years — who  was  richly  gifted  for  such  work,  and 
who,  if  he  could  secure  him,  would  be  able  to  help  him  as 
perhaps  no  other  man  could.  This  was  Saul  of  Tarsus. 
Barnabas  remembered  how  Saul  had  come  to  Jerusalem 
fired  with  the  memory  of  a  vision  and  filled  with  a  con- 
viction that  one  day  he  was  to  preach  the  Gospel  to 
the  Gentiles.  His  reception  had  not  been  over  cordial 
then,  even  among  the  disciples ;  afterwards  he  had 
been  obliged  to  escape  for  his  life,    and  now  he  was 


72     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

living  in  obscurity  somewhere  away  in  the  wilds  of  Cilicia. 
Barnabas,  therefore,  set  out  for  Tarsus  to  seek  Saul. 
Apparently  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  he  found  him, 
but  when  he  succeeded,  Saul  readily  complied  with  his 
request  and  returned  with  him  to  Antioch.  There  for 
a  whole  year  these  two  missionary  brethren  laboured 
together  with  much  success  and  encouragement.  Their 
success  was  marked  by  the  coinage  of  a  new  word,  a 
name  which  the  world  has  cherished  ever  since,  for  it 
was  in  Antioch  that  the  disciples  were  first  called 
Christians.^ 

Still  more  clearly  was  the  success  manifested,  however, 
by  the  fact  that  Antioch  soon  became  the  great  centre  of 
Gentile  Christianity  and  the  headquarters  of  missionary 
activity.  -  It  was  from  Antioch  that  Paul  and  Barnabas, 
the  first  Christian  missionaries  to  the  Gentile  world,  were 
sent  forth, 2  and  it  was  to  Antioch  they  returned  as  each 
missionary  tour  was  completed.  While  this  work  was 
going  on  among  the  Gentiles  in  Antioch,  a  prophet 
named  Agabus,  who  came  from  Jerusalem,  predicted  the 
occurrence  of  a  great  famine  in  Judaea.^  The  Christians 
of  Antioch,  hearing  this,  at  once  proposed  to  send  a  con- 
tribution for  the  relief  of  their  needy  brethren  in  Judaea, 
and  this  they  did,  sending  the  gift  to  the  elders*  by  the 
hands  of  Barnabas  and  Saul. 

1  Christians. — This  is  an  interesting  name.  It  was  not  used  by 
the  Christians  of  themselves,  being  found  in  the  New  Testament 
only  here,  in  chap.  xxvi.  28  (where  it  is  used  contemptuously), 
and  in  i  Peter  iv.  16.  They  called  themselves  "  the  disciv  les," 
"saints,"  "the  faithful,"  and  " the  brethren."  It  certainly  would 
not  be  given  them  by  the  Jews,  who  would  not  call  them  "the 
followers  of  the  Messiah."  They  called  them  "  Nazarenes"  (chap, 
xxiv.  5)  or  "  Galileans."  It  is  a  remarkable  word,  for  it  refers  to 
the  Hebrew  belief  in  the  Messiah  who  was  to  come.  The  word 
itself  is  Greek,  and  the  termination  Latin,  meaning  "the  followers 
of,"  as  the  partisans  of  Herod  were  called  the  "  Herodians."  Thus, 
like  the  inscription  on  the  Cross,  it  is  written  in  "  Hebrew  and 
Greek  and  Latm." 

2  Chap.  xiii.  2-4. 

8  From  the  historian  Josephus  we  learn  that  such  a  famine  took 
place  in  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Claudius  in  the  year  44  a.d. 

4  The  elders.— In  the  Greek,  "presbyters."  This  is  the  first 
mention  of  these  office-bearers  in  the  Christian  Church. 


MORE  PERSECUTION  73 


CHAPTER  XII 
MORE    PERSECUTION 

An  Apostle  martyred   (chap.  xii.    1-3). — While 

there  had  been  success  and  encouragement  in 
Antioch,  it  was  otherwise  with  the  Christians  at 
Jerusalem.  For  nearly  five  years  they  had  enjoyed  a 
time  of  peace,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  a  terrible 
change  came.  The  Emperor  Caligula  had  been  slain, 
and  Claudius,  his  successor,  had  come  to  the  throne.  At 
the  time  of  Caligula's  death  it  chanced  that  a  Jewish 
prince — Herod  Agrippa  by  name  ^ — was  in  Rome  and 
rendered  signal  service  to  the  new  emperor.  For  this 
he  was  publicly  thanked,  and  appointed  to  rule  over  all 
the  country  formerly  governed  by  his  grandfather,  which 
included  Judaea,  Samaria,  Abilene,  and  the  district  of 
Lebanon.  Though  not  a  good  man,  Herod  Agrippa 
called  himself  a  Pharisee,  and  paid  great  outward  respect 
to  the  Mosaic  law.  His  appointment,  therefore,  caused 
much  rejoicing  among  the  Jews.  He  was  eager  to  stand 
well  with  them,  and  especially  with  the  Pharisees,  and 
he  knew  that  nothing  would  tend  more  to  secure  their 
favour  than  to  revive  the  persecution  against  the 
Christians.  Accordingly,  he  caused  the  Apostle  James  ^ 
to  be  imprisoned  and  beheaded. ^  We  can  well  under- 
stand what  a  blow  this  was  to  the  Church.  It  was 
the  first  break  in  the  Apostolic  band.  James  was 
one  of  the  three  favoured  disciples  who  had  been  most 
intimate  with  the  Lord  when  He  was  on  earth — those 
who  had  been  allowed  to  be  present  with  Him  at  the 

1  He  was  the  son  of  Aristobulus,  and  grandson  of  Herod  the 
Great. 

2  James,  the  son  of  Zebedee,  and  brother  of  John. 

3  With  the  sword.— This  was  the  third  of  the  modes  of 
execution  appointed  among  the  Jews.  These  were  stoning,  burning, 
beheading,  and  strangulation. 


74     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

raising  of  Jairus's  daughter, ^  at  the  Transfiguration  on 
the  Holy  Mount, ^  and  at  the  agony  in  Gethsemane.^ 
He  is  the  only  Apostle  whose  death  is  mentioned 
in  the  New  Testament ;  yet  not  a  single  detail 
is  given  us  regarding  his  martyrdom,  not  a  syllable 
as  to  his  testimony,  his  demeanour,  or  his  parting  words. 
We  know  only  that  he  was  slain  with  the  sword, 
and  when  Herod  saw  how  in  this  he  had  pleased  the 
Jews  he  proceeded  to  take  Peter  also.  But  it  was 
the  Feast  of  the  Passover,  and  Herod,  who  was  a 
rigorous  observer  of  Jewish  ceremonial,  would  not 
execute  a  prisoner  during  the  feast ;  Peter  there- 
fore was  cast  into  prison  till  the  seven  days'  festival 
should  be  completed,  when  he  would  be  brought  forth 
and  put  to  death  with  full  publicity.  So  Herod  pro- 
posed, but  God  planned  otherwise.  Herod  fancied  he 
had  numbered  Peter's  days;  God  had  numbered  Herod's; 
and  long  after  Herod  was  laid  in  the  dust  Peter  was 
doing  God's  work  of  building  up  the  Church  of  Christ. 

Prison  Doors  opened  (chap.  xii.  3-19). — Once 

before  Peter  had  been  arrested,  and  he  had  got  out  of 
prison  in  some  mysterious  way.*  This  time  no  pre- 
caution wap  neglected  which  would  ensure  his  safe  keep- 
ing. Four  quaternions  of  soldiers — that  is,  four  sets  of 
four  soldiers  each — were  told  off  to  guard  him,  relieving 
each  other  in  turn.  Two  of  the  soldiers  were  with 
him  in  the  cell,  their  prisoner  being  chained  to  them  ;  ^ 
two  kept  guard  outside,  one  at  the  inner  and  the  other 
at  the  outer  door,^  while  the  other  twelve  were  rest- 
ing. Day  after  day  the  Apostle  remained  in  this  close 
custody  while  the  services  of  the  Temple  feast  were 
counting  out  the  days  allotted  to  him  on  earth.  P'or 
the  members  of  the  Church  it  was  a  trying  time.  Well 
did  they  know  how  terrible  to  them  would  be  the 
loss  of  such  a  champion  of  the  faith,  and  so  with  one 
heart  they  prayed  to  God  for  his  deliverance.'^     Slowly 

1  Mark  v.  37.  2  Mark  ix.  2.  ^  ]\lark  xiv.  33. 

4  Chap.  V.  18,  19.  5  Verse  6.  ^  Verse  10. 

7  Witlxout  ceasing  =  "  earnestly  "  (compare  Luke  xxii.  44,  where 
the  same  Greek  word  is  used). 


MORE  PERSECUTION  75 

the  days  passed.  At  length  the  last  night  of  the  feast 
came,  and  with  the  dawn  of  morning  Peter  would  be 
led  forth  to  die.  Oh,  how  those  sad  hearts  prayed  ! 
Truly  God  answers  prayer,  for  lo  I  that  very  night 
deliverance  came.  The  condemned  man  was  sleeping 
calmly  between  the  two  soldiers,  when  suddenly  the  dark 
dungeon  glowed  with  the  brightness  of  an  angelic  presence. 
Waking  Peter  with  a  touch,  the  angel  visitor  raised  him 
from  the  ground,  and  bidding  him  gird  up  his  long  tunic, 
put  on  his  sandals,  and  wrap  his  abba  or  loose  cloak  about 
him,  led  him  through  the  two  prison  doors,  with  a  sleeping 
sentry  at  each,  and  then  through  the  great  iron  gate  of 
the  prison — which  opened  for  them  of  its  own  accord — 
out  into  the  street.  There  the  angel  vanished,  and 
Peter  found  himself  standing  alone,  free,  but  dazed  and 
wondering  whether  it  was  not  all  a  dream.  Presently 
he  came  to  himself  and  realised  that  it  was  no  mere 
vision,  but  a  glad  reality,  and  with  a  grateful  heart  he 
gave  God  thanks.  After  thinking  what  it  would  be 
best  to  do,  he  made  his  way  to  the  house  of  Mary,  the 
mother  of  John  Mark.  Her  house  was  a  frequent  re- 
sort of  the  disciples,  and  that  night  a  gathering  of  them 
had  assembled  to  spend  the  night  in  united  prayer  for 
his  deliverance,  when  lo  !  he  stood  knocking  at  the 
door,  God's  answer  to  their  prayer.  The  maid  Rhoda,i 
who  cautiously  2  answered  the  midnight  knock,  recog- 
nised his  voice,  and  was  so  startled  and  delighted  that 
instead  of  opening  the  door  she  rushed  in  to  tell  the 
gladsome  news.  It  was  received  with  incredulity  by 
the  gathering,  who  said  it  must  be  his  angel. ^  At 
length    Peter's    continued    knocking    gained    him    an 

1  Bhoda. — The  name  means  Roses. 

2  A  damsel  came  to  hearken. — Perhaps  we  have  In  this  a 
trace  of  the  danger  which  surrounded  the  disciples  at  this  time  from 
the  zeal  of  Herod.  Saul  had  entered  into  every  house  and  carried 
oflf  men  and  women  to  prison.  There  was  danger  of  the  like  being 
done  again,  so  Rhoda  would  not  open  till  she  knew  who  was  seeking 
admission. 

3  His  angel. — It  was  a  popular  belief  among  the  Jews  that  each 
man  had  a  guardian  angel  assigned  him  (compare  Heb.  L  14 ;  Matt, 
xviii.  10). 


76     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

entrance,  when  to  a  company  of  astonished  listeners  he 
told  the  story  of  his  escape.  Then  bidding  them  tell 
those  things  to  James,  the  brother  of  the  Lord,  and  to 
their  fellow-believers,  he  withdrew  for  a  time  into  safe 
retirement,  while  Herod  wreaked  his  vengeance  on  the 
unconscious  quaternion  of  soldiers,  whose  real  offence 
was  that  they  could  not  any  more  than  Herod  himself 
resist  the  purpose  of  God. 

The  Death  of  Herod  Agrippa  (chap.  xii.  20-25). 

— While  these  things  had  been  going  on  in  Palestine,  the 
Roman  Emperor  Claudius,  who  had  been  away  on  an 
expedition  to  the  far  West,  returned  to  Rome  announc- 
ing the  conquest  of  a  new  province  in  the  far-off  islands 
of  Britain.  In  honour  of  the  event  great  rejoicings,  with 
triumphal  processions,  public  games,  and  gladiatorial 
exhibitions,  were  ordered  to  be  held,  not  only  in  Rome 
but  throughout  the  empire.  Agrippa,  always  eager  for 
such  spectacles,  dropped  for  a  time  his  work  of  per- 
secuting the  Christians  in  Jerusalem  and  hastened  to 
Csesarea  —  the  Roman  capital  —  that  he  might  make 
elaborate  preparations  for  a  festival  there.  From  that 
journey  he  never  came  back ;  and  neither  disciple  nor 
apostle  ever  fell  again  by  his  hands. 

The  people  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  who  had  no  agricultural 
land  of  their" own,  were  dependent  on  Judaea  for  their  food 
supply,  and  lately  there  had  been  strained  relations  between 
the  two.  Desirous,  therefore,  to  establish  more  friendly 
relations  with  Judaea,  they  seized  the  opportunity  afforded 
by  this  visit  to  Caesarea  on  so  joyful  an  occasion  to  send 
an  embassy  to  interview  Herod,  having  previously  taken 
care  to  secure  a  friend  at  court  in  the  person  of  Blastus, 
the  king's  chamberlain.  On  the  second  morning  of  the 
great  festival  Herod  received  this  embassy.^  At  daybreak 
he  entered  the  crowded  theatre  arrayed  in  a  robe  of  shining 
silver,  and  seating  himself  on  the  bema  or  throne,  delivered 
a  set  address  to  the  Phoenicians.     Presently  as  the  sun's 

1  Josephus  gives  a  full  and  detailed  account  of  this  festival  and 
the  death  of  Herod,  which  strikingly  agrees  with  Luke's  narrative 
(Jos.  Antiq.  xviii.  8). 


PA  UVS  FIRST  MISS  ION AR  Y  JO  URNE  Y     77 

rays  fell  on  his  silvery  robe  he  seemed  as  if  enwrapped 
in  glittering  splendour.  The  people  were  inspired  with 
awe,  and  here  and  there  a  flatterer's  voice  was  heard 
shouting  that  he  was  a  god  and  not  a  man.  Pleased 
with  the  flattery,  Agrippa  had  not  a  word  of  remonstrance 
or  rebuke.  Almost  immediately,  however,  there  arose 
a  cry  of  alarm.  The  king  had  been  seized  with  a  violent 
and  severe  pain.  They  carried  him  from  the  theatre  to 
the  palace,  where  it  was  found  that  he  was  stricken  with 
a  loathsome  and  painful  disease,  and  after  enduring  five 
days  of  continuous  agony  he  expired.  Thus  died  the  last 
Jewish  prince  that  ruled  over  Jerusalem.  A  Roman 
governor  succeeded  him,  and  again  the  Christians  had 
peace.  Once  more  the  hand  of  God  had  brushed  aside 
the  persecutor,  and  the  Word  of  God  grew  and  multiplied. 
Barnabas  and  Saul  had  been  to  Jerusalem  with  the  gift 
from  the  Christians  of  Antioch,  and  they  may  possibly 
have  seen  some  of  these  things  either  in  Jerusalem  itself 
or  in  Ca;sarea  on  their  way  back.  On  their  return  they 
took  with  them  to  Antioch  one  who  was  by  and  by  to 
be  the  cause  of  a  sad  chapter  in  the  history  of  them  both. 
This  was  John  Mark,  a  near  relative  of  Barnabas,  and 
the  son  of  that  Mary  whose  house  in  Jerusalem  was 
frequently  a  resort  of  the  Christians. 

Here  Luke  concludes  the  first  portion  of  his  Book  of 
Acts,  and  as  it  closes  we  note  that  it  shows  us  a  grow- 
ing Christian  Church  spreading  not  only  in  Jerusalem, 
Judaea,  and  Samaria,  but  also  away  beyond  the  confines 
of  Palestine  altogether. 


CHAPTER    XTII 

PAUL'S    FIRST    MISSIONARY  JOURNEY 

A  New  Section. — The  Book  of  Acts  divides  natu- 
rally into  three  sections.  The  first  of  these — which  we 
have  just  finished  (chaps,  i.  -xii. ) —  has  traced  the  spread 


78     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

of  Christianity  mainly  among  the  Jews  in  Judaea,  Samaria, 
and  beyond  Palestine,  but  has  at  the  same  time  indicated 
God's  purpose  of  calling  the  Gentiles  also  into  the 
Church  of  Christ,  and  furnished  instances  in  which  this 
was  actually  done,  as  in  the  case  of  Cornelius  and  his 
Gentile  friends.  The  second  section  (chaps,  xiii.-xxi.  19) 
now  opens  by  showing  us  a  strong  centre  of  Gentile 
Christianity  established  at  Antioch,  and  fast  be- 
coming a  centre  of  missionary  activity  from  which  the 
Gospel  was  spread  throughout  the  Gentile  world. 
This  result  was  accomplished  mainly  by  means  of  three 
great  missionary  journeys  undertaken  by  Paul  and  his 
companions.  The  record  of  those  three  journeys  is 
largely  the  history  of  the  founding  of  the  Christian 
Church,  and  Luke  therefore  gives  it  in  considerable 
detail.  Each  journey  started  from  Antioch  and  ended 
with  a  visit  to  Jerusalem.  The  work  done  in  the  course 
of  the  journeyings,  and  the  methods  employed  by  the 
missionaries  in  presenting  the  truth,  he  illustrates  by 
reporting  for  us  three  great  speeches  delivered  by 
the  Apostle — one  during  each  of  the  journeys, — the 
first  1  being  addressed  to  Jews,  the  second  ^  to  Gentiles, 
and  the  third  ^  to  Christians.  The  third  section  of  the 
book  (chaps,  xxi.  20-xxviii. )  records,  as  we  shall  presently 
find,  the  events  which  ended  in  bringing  Paul,  the 
Christian  missionary,  to  Rome,  and  closes  with  a  picture 
of  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  in  the  capital  of  the  world 
preaching  the  Gospel  with  all  boldness,  no  man  for- 
bidding him.  On  the  second  of  these  three  divisions  we 
now  enter. 

Ordination  of  the  First  Foreign  Missionaries 

(chap.  xiii.  1-3). — On  their  return  to  Antioch,  Paul  and 
Barnabas  found  the  Church  there  increased  in  numbers 
and  still  actively  interested  in  the  spread  of  Christi- 
anity, a  little  group  of  specially  gifted  men  taking 
in  different  ways  a  prominent  part  in  its  work. 
Some  of  these  were  prophets  inspired  with  a  special 
message  from  God,  while  others  acted  as  teachers  in- 
1  Chap.  xiii.  16-41.        2  Chap.  xvii.  22-31.        8  Chap.  xx.  18-35. 


PA  UL' S  FIRS  T  MISSIONAR  V  JO URNE  V     79 

structing  the  believers.  Five  of  their  names  ^  are  given, 
and  among  them  we  note  those  of  Barnabas  and 
Saul.  One  day  while  these  were  worshipping  together 
a  striking  intimation  was  made  to  them — probably 
through  the  instrumentality  of  one  of  the  Prophets,  and 
through  them  to  the  Church, — to  the  effect  that  God 
desired  Barnabas  and  Saul  to  be  set  apart  for  the  work 
to  which  He  had  specially  called  them — the  work  of 
carrying  the  Gospel  to  those  outside  the  Church,  whether 
Jew  or  Gentile.  In  other  words,  they  were  to  be  set 
apart  as  missionaries.  In  obedience  to  this  Divine  inti- 
mation, a  solemn  service  of  prayer  and  fasting  was  held, 
and  the  two  missionaries  were  in  God's  name  ordained 
to  this  work. 

Missionary  Visit  to  Cyprus  (chap.  xiii.  4-12). — 

The  task  of  attempting  to  convert  the  vast  heathen  world 
to  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  was  a  boldly  magnificent  one  ; 
but  the  elders  of  the  Church  in  Antioch  do  not  seem 
to  have  hesitated  about  obeying  the  Divine  call  and 
sending  forth  these  two  brethren  to  begin  it ;  and  so 
Barnabas  and  Saul  were  sent  forth  as  the  first  Christian 
missionaries.  The  journey,  which  was  probably 
planned  by  Divine  direction,  was  to  extend  over  two 
years,  and  they  took  with  them  as  an  attendant  ^  or 
helper  John  Mark,  a  relative  ^  of  Barnabas.  Whether 
they  quite  "realised  the  greatness  of  the  task  on  which 
they  were  entering,  we  do  not  know,  but  they  were 
calmly  conscious  that  they  were  going  at  the  bidding  of 
God.  They  knew  that  they  were  "sent  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,"  and  the  remembrance  of  that  would  be  a  strength 

1  It  is  worth  while  to  note  the  nationalities  and  connections  of 
the  men  who  are  here  named.  One  was  from  Cyprus ;  another  a 
Cyrenian  from  the  north  of  Africa  ;  the  third  was  a  Jew  ;  one  was  a 
connection  (foster-brother)  of  Herod,  and  the  last  was  Saul,  the 
divinely  chosen  "  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles."  Thus  the  little  group 
was  in  a  manner  representative  of  "  the  whole  world  "  into  which 
the  Gospel  was  now  to  be  carried.  "  Brought  up  with  "  (verse  i) 
=  "  foster-brother,"  as  in  R.V. 

2  Mimster=" as  their  attendant"  (R. v.). 

3  By  some  supposed  to  be  his  nephew,  by  others  his  cousin.  See 
Col.  iv.  10. 


8o     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

to  them  in  times  of  difficulty.  They  began  their  work 
by  a  visit  to  Cyprus.  Their  reasons  for  that  choice  we 
are  not  told  ;  but  Cyprus  was  not  far  from  Antioch,  and 
was  in  frequent  communication  with  it.  Christianity 
had  already  obtained  a  footing  in  the  island,  for  among 
those  who  first  brought  the  Gospel  to  the  Gentiles  in 
Antioch  were  some  men  of  Cyprus ;  and  Barnabas 
was  himself  a  native  of  Cyprus.  Possibly  these  cir- 
cumstances may  have  influenced  them.  Certain  it  is 
that  they  set  out  from  Antioch  with  their  faces  west- 
wards. Travelling  sixteen  miles  down  a  steep  and  rocky 
road  to  Seleucia,i  the  seaport  of  Antioch,  they  there 
obtained  a  sailing -boat  to  convey  them  across,  and  in 
due  time  they  reached  Salamis,  on  the  eastern  side  of 
the  island,  and  spent  some  days  there.  Cyprus  was 
at  that  time  a  populous  country,  with  a  number  of 
flourishing  cities,  in  which  the  Jews  formed  an  im- 
portant element  of  the  population.  Of  the  work  done 
in  Salamis  we  are  told  nothing  except  that  "they  con- 
tinued preaching  the  word  in  the  synagogues  of  the 
Jews."  After  a  short  stay  they  started  on  a  missionary 
tour  across  the  island,  preaching  by  the  way  to  their 
Jewish  countrymen  wherever  they  could  find  them. 

A  Contest  with  a  Magician  (chap.  xiii.  6-12). — 

The  distance  across  is  about  a  hundred  miles,  and  it  must 
have  taken  some  considerable  time  to  accomplish,  but  not 
one  incident  of  the  journey  is  recorded  for  us  until  they 
reached  Paphos,  the  capital,  one  of  the  wickedest  cities 
in  the  Roman  world.  Here  Sergius  Paulus,  the  pro- 
consul or  Roman  governor,  had  his  official  residence.  He 
is  described  as  being  a  "  prudent,"  ^  or  shrewd,  sensible 
man,  evidently  one  of  the  many  Gentiles  who  in  those 
days  were  inquirers  after  truth.  In  his  company — per- 
haps residing  in  his  house — he  had  a  Jewish  magician 
called  Bar-jesus,  but  known  also  by  the  Arabic  name  of 
Elymas,  or  "  the  wise  man," — not  improbably  a  self- 

1  Seleuda. — The  seaports  are  mentioned  according  to  Lukes 
usual  custom.     See  chaps,  xiv.  25  ;  xvi.  11 ;  xviii.  18. 

2  Prudent,  ue.  "a  man  of  ability." 


Paul's  first  missionary  journey    si 

assumed  title.  Sergius  Paulus  had  heard  of  the  visit  of 
the  Apostles  to  the  island,  and  he  expressed  a  desire  to 
meet  them  and  hear  something  of  the  new  doctrine 
which  they  taught — the  Word  of  God.  At  this  the 
fears  of  the  magician  were  aroused  lest  he  should  lose 
his  influence  over  the  proconsul,  and  when  they  came 
he  determined  by  all  means  to  withstand  the  Apostles 
and  prevent  the  deputy  from  embracing  the  new  faith. 
Realising  this,  and  acting  under  a  strong  Divine  impulse, 
Paul  sternly  rebuked  him,  calling  him  a  "  child  of  the 
devil,"  an  "  enemy  of  all  righteousness,"  and  by  a 
startling  miracle  inflicted  upon  him  the  punishment  of 
temporary  blindness.  Hardly  were  the  words  spoken 
by  the  Apostle  when  the  poor  stricken  man  felt  himself 
enveloped  in  darkness,  and,  stretching  out  his  helpless 
hands,  implored  his  friends  to  lead  him  away.  The 
deputy,  deeply  impressed,  became  convinced  of  the  truth 
which  Paul  had  declared,  and  professed  his  faith  in 
Jesus  as  the  Christ.  Thus  the  man  who  had  set 
himself  to  withstand  the  Gospel  proved  in  God's  hands 
the  means  of  the  governor's  conversion.  Doubtless 
the  good  impression  thus  made  on  the  mind  of  the 
deputy  would  help  the  missionaries  among  the  people  by 
securing  for  them  a  respectful  hearing. 

Saul  (who  is  also  called  Paul)  (chap.  xiii.  9). — 

Up  to  this  point  Barnabas  has  been  the  leader  of  the 
missionary  party  and  Saul  has  been  called  by  his  Jewish 
name.  Luke  has  always  spoken  of  them  as  Barnabas 
and  Saul.  From  this  time  onward,  however,  there  is  a 
change.  Hitherto  Saul  has  been  among  the  Jews  "  as 
a  Jew."  1  Here,  however,  he  is  in  different  surroundings. 
He  stands  in  the  hall  of  a  Roman  proconsul,  and  he 
answers  the  questions  of  a  Roman  official  by  announcing 
himself  not  as  Saul,  a  Jew  from  Tarsus,  but  as  Paul,  a 
Roman  citizen,  which  would  secure  for  him  a  respectful 
hearing.  He  thus  steps  forward  into  the  leading  place, 
and  Luke,  recognising  that  henceforward  the  history  of 

1  See  I  Cor.  ix.  20. 
6 


82     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

Paul  is  to  be  his  chief  theme,  begins  to  speak  of  Paul 
and  Barnabas. 

At  Perga— Disappointment  (chap.  xiii.  13).— 

After  having  spent  some  months  in  Cyprus,  Paul,  with 
his  companions,  1  Barnabas  and  John  Mark,  prepared  to 
leave  the  island  and  continue  their  missionary  tour.  At 
Paphos  they  found  a  coasting  vessel,  in  which  they 
embarked,  and  after  sailing  north-westwards  for  two 
days  and  a  night,  they  entered  the  river  Cestrus,  and 
sailing  up  for  seven  miles,  landed  at  the  town  of 
Perga,  the  capital  of  the  province  of  Pamphylia.  Here 
they  were  again  on  the  mainland  of  Asia  Minor,  and 
only  about  a  hundred  miles  from  Paul's  native  province 
of  Cilicia. 

We  do  not  read  of  their  having  made  any  missionary 
effort  at  Perga,  but  their  stay  there  was  marked  by  a  dis- 
appointing and  disheartening  incident,  which  awakened 
painful  feelings  at  the  time,  and  was  attended  by  serious 
consequences  afterwards.  John  Mark  deserted  the  mis- 
sionary cause,  and,  forsaking  them,  went  home  to  Jerusalem. 
What  induced  him  to  do  so  we  are  not  told,^  but  whatever 
his  reasons  he  left  them  in  circumstances  which  made  a 
deep  and  painful  impression  on  Paul,  and  remained  rank- 
ling in  his  mind  for  years.  ^  Although  Barnabas  did  not 
take  quite  so  seriously  his  kinsman's  defection,  it  must  have 
been  a  very  real  misfortune  to  the  mission.    Mark  could  ill 

1  Paul  and  his  company.— Literally,  "those  around  Paul." 
Henceforth  Paul  is  now  the  central  figure  of  the  narrative. 

2  It  has  been  suggested  that  John's  departure  was  in  some  way 
connected  with  the  change  of  plan  which  led  them,  instead  of 
evangelising,  as  they  originally  intended,  the  Roman  province  of 
Pamphylia,  to  go  direct  over  the  mountains  and  on  to  Antioch  in 
Pisidia,  in  the  province  of  Galatia,  postponing  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  in  Pamphylia  till  a  later  stage.  This  change  of  plan  may  pro- 
bably have  been  due  to  the  serious  illness  of  Paul.  In  his  Epistle  to 
the  Galatians  he  states  that  it  was  by  reason  of  physical  infirmity  l^hat 
he  preached  to  them  at  the  first.  For  a  serious  attack  of  illness  in 
the  enervating  atmosphere  of  Perga,  the  natural  treatment  would  be 
to  go  up  to  the  higher  ground  of  the  interior,  and  the  situation  of 
Antioch  (3600  feet  above  the  sea),  as  well  as  the  number  of  Jews 
resident  there,  would  mark  it  out  as  a  suitable  place.  (See  Professor 
Ramsay's  Paul,  the  Traveller  and  Roman  Ciitzen,  p.  89  f.) 

'^  See  chap.  xv.  38. 


Paul's  first  missionary  journey    83 

be  spared  at  the  time,  and  it  was  impossible  to  fill  his  place. 
So  keenly  did  Paul  feel  if  that  long  after,  when  Barnabas 
wished  to  take  Mark  with  them  again  on  another  journey, 
Paul,  rather  than  have  him,  parted  with  Barnabas  also. 
Antioch  in  Pisidia  (chap.  xiii.  14).— Thus 
weakened,  the  mission  party  started  on  their  difficult 
journey  northward  towards  the  interior.  A  rough,  toil- 
some road  it  was,  through  a  rugged,  mountainous  country 
infested  by  robbers ;  but  after  a  journey  of  a  hundred 
miles,  which  would  probably  occupy  them  about  a  week, 
they  reached  the  flourishing  commercial  town  of  Antioch 
in  Pisidia.  Situated  on  the  highway  leading  through 
the  mountains  into  the  country  beyond,  Antioch  was  a 
busy  city,  and  in  summer,  when  the  people  from  the  hot, 
low-lying  districts  near  the  coast  came  up  to  the  hills  to 
escape  the  great  heat,  it  was  crowded.  Probably  it  was 
so  at  this  time,  and  the  first  care  of  the  Apostles  would 
be  to  repair  to  the  Jews'  quarter  and  find  a  lodging. 

A  Sabbath  in  tlie  Synagogue  (chap.  xiii.  15). — 

When  the  Sabbath  came  round  they  followed  their  usual 
custom,  and  went  to  the  synagogue  to  worship  with 
their  fellow-countrymen ;  for  we  must  not  forget  that 
along  with  their  Christian  faith  the  Apostles  retained 
their  Jewish  worship.  There  was  but  one  synagogue  in 
Antioch,  so  it  must  have  been  of  considerable  size. 
A  Jewish  synagogue  is  much  the  same  everywhere, 
and  its  arrangements  would  be  almost  identical  with  those 
of  any  of  the  synagogues  throughout  the  East  at  the 
present  day.  Paul  and  Barnabas  on  entering  would  find 
themselves  in  a  large  square  building,  low -roofed, 
and  dimly  lighted,  the  windows  being  small  to  keep  it 
cool.  At  one  side  is  a  lattice-work  screen,  behind 
which  the  women  sit,  veiled  and  silent,  while  the  men 
join  in  the  service.  In  the  centre  stands  the  reader's 
desk,  and  near  it,  facing  the  congregation,  are  several 
raised  seats,  where  the  elders  of  the  synagogue  sit — 
those  ' '  chief  seats  "  which  the  Rabbis  and  the  Pharisees 
loved.  1  This,  then,  is  the  place  where  Paul  and  Barnabas 
1  Matt,  xxiii.  6. 


84     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

have  come  to  worship.  Every  Jew  on  entering  th^ 
synagogue  takes  in  his  hand  a  sort  of  broad  scarf  made 
of  white  wool,  with  blue  fringes,  and  having  tassels  at 
the  four  corners.  This,  which  is  called  the  tallith  or 
fringed  garment,  is  very  sacred  in  Jewish  eyes.  Wrapping 
it  round  his  head,  the  worshipper  immediately  begins  to 
join  in  the  prayers  which  are  being  recited  by  the  con- 
gregation. This,  no  doubt,  Paul  and  Barnabas  do  like 
the  others.  After  the  prayers  are  ended  the  clerk  of  the 
congregation  biings  forward  with  much  ceremony  the 
Torah  or  sacred  roll  —  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
Testament — and  hands  it  to  the  reader,  who  takes 
his  place  at  the  desk.  Two  lessons  are  read,  one 
from  the  Law  and  another  from  the  Prophets,^  and 
thereafter  there  is  an  address  or  sermon,  generally 
founded  on  something  in  one  or  other  of  the  passages 
read.  This  address,  however,  is  not  given  by  one  set 
minister,  but  any  distinguished  stranger  present,  or 
indeed  any  one  likely  to  do  it  with  profit,  may  be 
asked  to  address  the  congregation.  It  was  in  this  way 
that  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue  at  Nazareth  called  upon 
Jesus  2  to  speak  there ;  and  in  the  same  way  the  rulers 
of  the  synagogue  at  Antioch,  noticing  the  presence  of 
Paul  and  Barnabas,  sent  a  courteous  message  inviting 
them  to  address  the  congregation — "Brethren,  if 
ye  have  any  word  of  exhortation  for  the  people, 
say  on."      Ever  ready  to  seize  an  opportunity,   Paul 

1  Biblical  scholars  have  been  able  to  trace  out  what  most  probably 
were  the  two  lessons  read  in  the  synagogue  that  day,  viz.  Deut.  i. 
and  Isaiah  i.  In  verses  17  and  18  Paul  uses  two  words  in  an  unusual 
sense,  viz.  "suffered"  and  "exalted,"  and  a  similar  uncommon  use 
of  these  words  is  found  in  Deut.  i.  31  and  Isaiah  i.  2.  Further,  it  is 
found  that  in  the  Jewish  Lectionary,  or  Order  for  the  Reading  of 
the  Scriptures  in  the  Synagogue,  which  is  very  ancient,  these  two 
chapters  are  combined  for  reading  on  the  same  day.  Moreover,  a 
consideration  of  Paul's  sermon  shows  that  the  point  which  he 
emphasises  in  his  review  of  Israel's  history,  viz.  God's  special  care 
over  Israel,  is  just  that  which  is  insisted  on  in  Deut.  i.,  while  the 
burden  of  his  argument  through  the  whole  sermon,  the  forgiveness 
of  sins  through  Jesus  Christ,  is  the  subject  spoken  of  in  Isaiah  i., 
"  Come  now,  and  let  us  reason  together"  etc  (See  Farrar's  Life 
of  St.  Paul,  vol.  i.  p.  368  f.). 

2  Cf.  Luke  iv.  x6. 


PA  ULS  FIRS  T  MISS  ION  A  RY  JO  URNE  Y     85 

instantly  accepted  the  invitation,  and  rising  in  his 
place,  with  outstretched  hand,i  addressed  the  expectant 
throng. 

The  First  Recorded  Sermon  of  St.  Paul  (chap. 

xiii.  16-41). — It  was  a  memorable  occasion.  The 
address  which  he  delivered  is  the  first  of  Paul's  sermons 
of  which  we  have  any  record,  although  he  had  been 
preaching  Christianity  for  over  ten  years.  The  congre- 
gation was,  of  course,  composed  mainly  of  Jews,  but 
there  were  present  also  some  proselytes — Gentiles  who 
had  accepted  the  God  of  Israel  and  become  Jews,^ — and 
possibly  also  some  Gentiles.  By  his  first  sentence  Paul 
showed  that  his  address  was  intended  for  all  of  them. 
"Men  of  Israel,"  he  said,  "and  ye  that  fear  God, 
hearken."  The  sermon  itself  was  probably  based  on 
words  which  the  congregation  had  just  heard  in  the 
two  lessons  from  Scripture,  but  it  recalls  in  several 
respects  that  address  of  Stephen  which  Paul  had  heard 
years  ago,  and  by  which  he  had  evidently  been  greatly 
impressed.  Like  Stephen,  he  appeals  to  Jewish  history, 
pointing  out  that  God  through  a  long  series  of  special 
dealings  had  shown  marked  goodness  to  His  chosen 
people,  delivering  them  from  Egypt,  settling  them  in 
Canaan,  and  giving  them  first  judges  and  then  kings 
to  rule  over  them  (vv.  16-22).  In  like  manner,  as  the 
greatest  of  those  special  dealings,  God  sent  to  Israel 
the  promised  Saviour,  Jesus  (ver.  23),  and  now,  he  says, 
the  message  of  that  salvation  is  sent  to  you  all,  Jews 
and  Gentiles  (ver.  26).  The  Jews  in  Jerusalem  did  not 
recognise  Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  and  they  crucified  Him, 
as  the  Prophets  had  foretold  they  would.  God,  how- 
ever, had  vindicated  His  claim  by  raising  Him  from 
the  dead  (vv.  27-30).  Of  that  fact  he  says  we  (the 
Apostles)  are  witnesses,  and  to-day  we  preach  in  your 
hearing  the  forgiveness  of  sins  for  all  who  believe  in 
Jesus  as  the  Messiah  (vv.  31-37),  and  we  warn  you 
against  the  danger  of  neglecting  our  message  and 
rejecting  the  Saviour  (w.  38-41). 

1  Cf.  chaps,  xii.  17  ;  xxi.  40  ;  xxvi.  i. 


86     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

This  is  a  bare  summary  of  what  the  Apostle  said.  Even 
Luke's  account  is  only  an  outline,  but  we  can  understand 
what  it  would  be  when  spoken  with  the  fire  and  fervour 
of  a  preacher  like  Paul.  When  he  sat  down  his  audience 
were  thrilled  and  astonished.  Could  it  be  true,  as  he 
said,  that  the  Christ  had  come  ?  A  deep  impression 
was  produced  by  the  discourse,  even  the  Jews  being 
impressed  ;  and  as  they  streamed  out  of  the  synagogue, 
Jews  and  Gentiles  alike  begged  that  the  Apostles  would 
come  again  the  following  Sabbath  and  speak  further  of 
those  things. 

Missionary  Experiences  (chap.  xiii.  42-49). — 

After  the  congregation  had  broken  up,  a  number  of 
inquirers  followed  Paul  and  Barnabas  as  they  walked 
homewards-,  asking  about  the  new  faith.  Throughout 
the  week  there  was  much  talk  and  discussion  about  the 
sermon,  and  the  next  Sabbath  the  doors  of  the  quiet 
synagogue  were  thronged  by  a  vast  crowd — ^Jew  and 
Gentile — of  all  nationalities  and  of  all  classes.  It  seemed 
as  if  the  whole  city  had  come  together  to  hear  the  Word 
of  God.  Doubtless  Paul  rejoiced  at  such  an  opportunity 
of  preaching  the  Gospel,  but  by  this  time  the  haughty, 
exclusive  Jews  had  grown  jealous  and  alarmed.  They 
were  indignant  because  Paul  had  said  that  the  Gentiles 
might  become  Christians  as  well  as  the  Jews.  The 
ruler  of  the  synagogue  again  invited  Paul  to  speak,  but 
on  this  occasion  he  met  with  a  very  different  reception. 
Hardly  had  he  commenced  his  address  when  the  Jews 
began  to  call  out,  interrupting  and  contradicting  him. 
The  sight  of  the  Gentiles  gathered  to  hear  him  filled  them 
with  bitterness.  They  protested  vehemently  against  what 
he  was  saying,  and  blasphemed  the  name  of  Jesus.  In 
vain  did  Paul  try  to  answer  them  :  they  only  became  the 
more  excited  and  shouted  the  louder.  At  length  the 
Apostles  saw  it  was  time  to  end  the  scene.  They  re- 
cognised  that  a  crisis  had  come,  and  they  must  meet  it. 
Paul  therefore,  standing  erect  and  boldly  lacing  the  angry 
Jews  in  front  of  him,  pointed  to  the  door,  where  the 
people  of  the  city  were  crowding,  eager  to  hear  the  Word, 


PAULS  FIRST  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY     87 

and  exclaimed  :  "  It  was  necessary  that  the  Word  of  God 
should  first  have  been  spoken  unto  you  :  but  seeing  ye 
put  it  from  you,  and  judge  yourselves  unworthy  of  ever- 
lasting life,  lo,  we  turn  to  the  Gentiles  :  for  so  hath 
God  commanded  us."  "With  these  words  the  two 
missionaries  walked  together  out  of  the  synagogue, 
leaving  the  enraged  and  excited  multitude.  We  can 
well  understand  that  now  there  was  a  wider  breach  than 
ever  between  the  Jews  and  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles. 

Very  gladly,  however,  did  the  Gentiles  on  their  part 
welcome  both  the  Apostles  and  their  message.  Many 
among  them  believed,  and  the  Gospel  spread  rapidly, 
not  only  in  the  city,  but  throughout  the  whole  region. 

Banished  from  the  City  (chap.  xiii.  50), — This 

success  was  like  a  gleam  of  sunshine  to  the  Apostles,  but 
very  soon  the  clouds  gathered  again.  Those  angry  Jews 
of  the  synagogue  were  not  to  be  easily  defeated  in  their 
purpose.  Among  the  proselytes  who  worshipped  with 
them  were  the  wives  of  several  of  the  principal  men  in  the 
city,  and  they  induced  these  to  influence  their  husbands 
against  Paul  and  Barnabas,  with  such  success  that  finally 
they  got  them  banished  from  the  city.  The  Apostles,  as 
they  left,  shook  off  their  feet  the  dust  of  the  city  "  as  a 
testimony  against  them,"i  and  passed  on  to  Iconium,  a 
town  fifty  miles  off.  The  church  of  Gentile  believers, 
however,  which  they  were  thus  compelled  to  leave  in 
Antioch,  was  not  destroyed,  as  might  have  been  ex- 
pected. On  the  contrary,  the  faith  of  its  members 
increased,  and  they  were  filled  with  the  brightness  of 
spiritual  joy. 

1  See  Matt.  x.  14. 


88     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 


CHAPTER  XIV 

MISTAKEN   FOR  GODS 

At  Iconium  (chap.  xiv.  1-5). — Thus  were  the  two 
missionaries  compelled  to  extend  their  tour,  and  so 
carry  the  Gospel  farther.  Expelled  from  Antioch, 
they  proceeded  to  Iconium,  where  they  remained  prob- 
ably several  months.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  they  went 
on  the  Sabbath  to  the  synagogue,  where  on  several 
occasions  they  were  invited  to  speak,  and  did  so  with 
such  fervour  and  power  that  they  won  many  converts 
both  among  Jews  and  proselytes.  Ere  long,  however, 
some  of  the  unbelieving  Jews  began  to  stir  up  opposi- 
tion to  them  and  incited  the  Gentiles  against  them ; 
but  encouraged  by  the  manifest  blessing  of  God 
resting  on  their  labours,  the  Apostles  held  their  ground, 
confirming  their  preaching  by  striking  miracles  which 
arrested  the  attention  of  the  whole  community.  Of  the 
townspeople  some  sided  with  the  Apostles  ^  and  some 
with  the  synagogue  Jews,  till  the  whole  city  was 
troubled.  At  length  so  great  did  the  excitement  be- 
come that  the  embittered  Jews  and  the  unbelieving 
Gentiles  combined  together  in  a  plot  to  murder  Paul 
and  Barnabas,  and  so  end  the  trouble ;  but  of  this  the 
intended  victims  in  some  way  got  timely  notice,  and 
made  their  escape.  They  took  the  road  leading  across 
the  plains,  and  journeying  on,  at  length  reached  the 
town  of  Lystra,  in  Lycaonia.  Thus  was  their  work  in 
Iconium  suddenly  ended,  and  a  second  time  they  were 
compelled  when  persecuted  in  one  city  to  flee  to  another. 
Again,  too,  it  was  their  own  countrymen  who  instigated 

1  The  Apostles. — Paul  and  Barnabas  are  so  called  here  for  the 
first  time.  To  be  an  apostle  of  Jesus  it  was  necessary — (i)  To  hold 
a  commission  direct  from  Him ;  and  (a)  to  have  seen  the  risen 
Saviour. 


MISTAKEN  FOR  GODS  89 

the  persecution.  Well  might  Paul  say,  "  I  was  in  peril 
by  mine  own  countrymen."  ^ 

At  Lystra  and  Derbe  (chap.  xiv.  6-21). — There 

does  not  appear  to  have  been  a  synagogue  at  Lystra, 
but  both  there  and  in  the  villages  round  about  the 
Apostles  preached  with  much  success  in  the  bazaars  and 
market-places,  as  is  done  still  by  missionaries  in  the 
East.  One  day  an  incident  occurred  which  led  to  an 
extraordinary  scene.  While  Paul  was  addressing  a  crowd 
near  the  temple  of  Jupiter,  he  noticed  among  his  hearers 
a  lame  man,^  whose  eager  look  showed  that  he  was  be- 
lieving what  was  said.  Paul  perceived  in  him  tokens  of 
a  very  real  faith,  and  so  acting  on  an  impulse  of  the 
Divine  Spirit,  he  fixed  his  gaze  upon  the  poor  man 
and  cried  in  a  loud  voice,  **  Rise  !  Stand  upright  upon 
thy  feet !"  Instantly  the  cripple  leaped  up  and  began 
to  walk.  A  murmur  of  astonishment  passed  through 
the  crowd.  There  was  an  old  tradition  in  I^ystra  that 
once  upon  a  time  two  of  the  gods  had  come  down  to 
earth  in  this  very  neighbourhood,  and  now  the  crowd 
concluded  that  this  had  happened  again,  and  they 
shouted  in  the  rude,  native  dialect  of  Lycaonia,  "  The 
gods  have  come  down  to  us  in  the  likeness  of  men." 
The  tall,  handsome  Barnabas,  they  said,  must  be  Jupiter,^ 
and  Paul,  to  whose  words  they  had  just  been  listening, 
must  be  Mercury,  who  was  an  eloquent  speaker.  The 
Apostles  themselves,  being  ignorant  of  the  Lycaonian 
dialect,  did  not  understand  what  was  being  said,  and 
withdrew  to  their  lodging.  Meanwhile  the  report 
spread,  and  the  people  thronged  together  in  great 
excitement.  The  white  temple  of  Jupiter  stood  before 
the  gate  of  the  town,  and  its  priest  at  once  prepared 
to  offer  sacrifice  to  these  two  gods.     He  procured  bulls 

2  Cor.  xi.  26.     _  ^ 

2  Note  the  physician's  minute  description  of  the  case.  The 
man's  feet  were  powerless  ;  he  had  been  bom  so,  and  he  never  had 
walked. 

3  Jupiter  was  the  king  of  the  gods,  and  of  stately  and  com- 
manding presence.  Mercury  was  the  messenger  of  the  gods,  and 
the  inventor  of  speech  ;  hence  the  god  of  eloquence. 


90     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

and  garlands  and  the  other  accessories  of  a  great  pro- 
cession, and,  accompanied  by  the  jubilant  crowds,  marched 
through  the  streets  to  the  gates,  intending  to  slay  the 
animals  and  offer  them  in  sacrifice  to  the  two  deities. 
When  Paul  and  Barnabas  learned  of  all  this  they  were 
greatly  shocked.  They  rent  their  clothes  and  rushed 
out  among  the  people,  imploring  them  to  desist  from 
such  folly,  and  to  believe  that  they  were  only  men  of 
like  passions  with  themselves.  They  assured  them  that 
the  very  purpose  of  their  visit  was  to  beg  them  lo  turn 
away  from  such  vanities  and  idolatry  and  learn  to  wor- 
ship the  living  God  who  created  all  things.  With  great 
difficulty  they  succeeded  in  restraining  the  crowd,  and 
there  was  disappointment  in  many  hearts  when  the 
bulls,  with  their  flowery  garlands,  were  led  back  to 
their  stalls  in  Jupiter's  temple,  and  the  people  had  to  go 
to  their  homes.  For  some  time  Paul  and  Barnabas  stayed 
in  Lystra  and  preached,  but  the  shadow  of  that  disappoint- 
ment never  altogether  wore  off.  Its  effect  was  felt  when 
by  and  by  a  company  of  Jews  came  all  the  way  from 
Iconium  and  Antioch  seeking  to  stir  up  the  people  against 
the  Apostles.  The  fickle,  disappointed  mob  fell  an  easy 
prey  to  their  malicious  falsehoods,  and  it  was  not  long  till 
those  who  were  with  difficulty  restrained  from  worshipping 
Paul  as  a  god  stoned  him  till  they  thought  him  dead,  and 
dragging  his  senseless  body  through  the  dusty  street  out  by 
the  city  gate,  left  him  lying  there.  He  was  not,  however, 
dead.  His  friends,  who  had  followed  timidly,  unaware 
whether  he  was  dead  or  not,  gathered  round  the  body. 
It  was  with  sad  hearts  they  saw  the  messenger  of 
Jesus  lying  in  the  dust  bruised  and  bleeding,  and  to 
all  appearance  dead  ;  but  while  they  stood  around,  the 
Apostle  recovered  consciousness,  and  soon,  to  their  great 
joy,  he  opened  his  eyes  and  spoke  to  them.  After  a 
little  while  he  was  able  to  be  moved,  and  bj'  the  help  of 
his  friends  he  was  brought  back  to  the  city.  Alas  ! 
what  it  meant  in  those  days  to  be  a  missionary  of  the 
crucified  Jesus  !  After  such  a  warning  it  was  impossible 
to  remain  longer  in  Lystra,  so  next  morning,  although 


MISTAKEN  FOR  GODS  91 

little  able  to  travel,  bruised  and  sore  as  he  was,  Paul, 
and  his  faithful  companion  Barnabas,  started  to  make 
their  way  from  Lystra  to  the  town  of  Derbe,  some  twenty 
miles  off.  There  they  were  allowed  to  rest  unmolested, 
as  the  Jews,  believing  perhaps  that  Paul  was  dead,  did 
not  follow  them  thither.  A  little  time  of  rest  and  peace 
they  sadly  needed,  but  they  found  time  and  strength  to 
preach  also  ;  and  their  work  seems  to  have  been  blessed, 
for  they  made  many  disciples. 

The  Return  to  Antioch  in  Syria  (chap.  xiv. 

21-28). — Surely  the  time  had  now  come  when  these  two 
missionaries  might  think  of  returning  home.  It  was 
a  long  time  since  they  had  left  Antioch,  and  very  trying 
had  been  the  experiences  through  which  they  had  passed 
since  the  day  they  were  ordained  in  the  church  at 
Antioch  and  sent  forth  by  the  brethren.  Accordingly 
they  now  turned  their  steps  homeward,  though  not  by 
the  nearest  way.  At  Derbe  they  were  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  a  well-known  pass  in  the  mountains  called  the 
Cilician  Gates,  through  which  they  might  have  proceeded 
to  Tarsus,  Paul's  native  city,  and  thereafter  a  short 
voyage  would  have  brought  them  to  Antioch.  They 
preferred,  however,  to  return  by  the  way  they  had  come, 
so  that  they  might  visit  the  various  churches  they  had 
founded.  It  was  no  light  thing  to  resolve  again 
to  face  what  might  await  them  in  Lystra,  Iconium, 
or  Antioch,  but  they  do  not  seem  to  have  hesitated. 
They  visited  all  three  places,  confirming  the  believers, 
exhorting  them  to  constancy,  and  warning  them  to  be 
prepared  for  the  tribulations  through  which  they  must 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  Before  they  left 
they  ordained  elders  in  each  of  the  churches,  men  who 
should  have  the  care  and  oversight  of  the  affairs  of  the 
Church. 

From  Antioch  in  Pisidia  they  travelled  back  to  Perga, 
where  they  had  formerly  landed  on  coming  from  Cyprus. 
On  that  occasion  they  had  merely  passed  through  it, 
but  now  they  remained  some  time  and  preached.  Possibly 
they  could  not  find  a  ship  at  Perga,  so  after  a  shor< 


92     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

stay  they  continued  their  journey  by  road  sixteen  nniles 
farther,  and  came  to  the  seaport  of  Attalia.  Here  they 
got  a  coasting  vessel  which  carried  them  to  Seleucia,  the 
seaport  of  Antioch.  They  had  then  only  to  toil  up  the 
sixteen  miles  of  rocky  pathway  through  the  wide  glen 
down  which  they  had  come  at  the  first,  and  they  stood 
once  more  in  the  streets  of  Antioch  whence  the  Church 
had  sent  them  forth.  Thus  ended  the  first  missionary 
journey.  Toilsome  and  eventful  enough  it  had  been. 
For  nearly  three  years  the  missionaries  had  been  away, 
and  during  that  time  they  had  preached  the  Gospel  in 
the  island  of  Cyprus  and  in  three  provinces  of  Asia 
Minor — ^Pamphylia,  Pisidia,  and  Lycaonia.  They  had 
founded  four  Christian  churches,  namely  those  in  Pisidian 
Antioch,  in  Iconium,  in  Lystra,  and  in  Derbe.  Of  the 
fatigues,  the  perils,  and  the  terrible  experiences  they  had 
undergone  they  bore  unmistakable  traces.  Twenty  years 
afterwards  the  memory  of  those  hardships  and  afflictions 
was  still  fresh  when  Paul  wrote  of  '*  the  persecutions  and 
afflictions  which  came  upon  him  at  Antioch,  at  Iconium, 
at  Lystra.  "1  But  more  notable  than  all  else  was  the 
deep-rooted  conviction  he  brought  back  with  him  that 
the  work  of  his  life — that  to  which  God  had  called  him 
— was  to  be  "the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles."  His  ex- 
perience in  every  town  in  which  he  preached  had  been 
that,  while  Jewish  pride  and  national  exclusiveness 
stood  in  the  way  of  the  Jews  receiving  the  universal 
Gospel,  the  Gentiles  everywhere  were  ready  to  welcome 
it.  After  their  return  the  Christians  of  Antioch  held 
a  large  missionary  meeting,  at  which  the  two  Apostles 
gave  a  report  of  their  travels  and  experiences,  and  bore 
testimony  to  the  great  fact  that  God  had  indeed  **  opened 
a  door  of  faith  unto  the  Gentiles." 

1  a  Tim.  iii.  zz. 


THE  FIRST  COUNCIL  93 


CHAPTER  XV 

The  First  Council  of  the  Christian  Church 
How  may  Gentiles  become  Christians  ?  (chap.  xv. 

1-5). — For  some  time  the  wearied  missionaries  rested 
after  their  hardships  and  fatigues,  enjoying  the  peaceful 
ministrations  of  the  Church  in  Antioch,  where  they  found 
a  quiet,  restful  community,  Jew  and  Gentile  living 
together  in  unity,  waiving  their  differences,  and,  with 
mutual  forbearance,  treating  each  other  as  brethren  in 
Christ.  By  and  by,  however,  that  peace  was  broken. 
Certain  men  came  down  from  Judgea — claiming  to  have 
come  with  the  authority  of  the  Apostles — and  urged  that 
Gentile  converts  should  not  be  received  as  Christians 
unless  they  had  first  become  proselytes  and  been  circum- 
cised. Circumcision,  they  maintained,  was  essential  to 
salvation.  This  Paul  stoutly  opposed,  and  by  the  con- 
troversy which  arose  the  peace  of  the  Church  was  de- 
stroyed. Some  of  the  Jewish  converts  in  Antioch 
agreed  with  those  teachers,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
faith  of  some  of  the  Gentile  Christians  was  shaken. 
Paul  viewed  with  anxiety  and  indignation  this  attempt 
to  lay  on  the  Gentiles  a  burden  which  Jesus  had 
not  imposed.  It  would,  if  accepted,  sweep  away  the 
results  of  all  the  missionary  work  he  and  Barnabas  had 
been  doing  among  the  Gentiles  in  Asia  Minor.  So  keen 
was  the  controversy  and  so  important  the  question,  that 
it  was  ultimately  determined  that  Paul  and  Barnabas 
should  go  up  to  Jerusalem  to  lay  the  matter  before 
the  Apostles  and  elders  and  obtain  an  authoritative 
decision  regarding  it.  Several  members  of  the  Church 
in  Antioch  accompanied  them,  and  Paul  also  took 
with  him  Titus,  a  Greek,i  who  had  been  converted 
to  Christianity  during   their  visit  to  Cyprus,  and  who 

1  GaL  iL  3. 


94     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

was  a  living  instance  of  an  uncircumcised  Gentile  who 
had  unmistakably  received  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
From  Antioch  to  Jerusalem  was  a  long  journey,  and  it 
would  occupy  them  about  six  weeks,  travelling  by 
the  landward  route  through  Phoenicia.  On  their 
way  they  halted  at  the  important  towns  of  Tyre 
and  Sidon,  and  then  passed  southward  through 
Samaria.  Everywhere  they  told  the  Christian  brethren 
their  experience  of  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles, 
and  everywhere  they  were  encouraged  by  expressions  of 
approval  and  joy.  On  arriving  at  Jerusalem  they  were 
cordially  received  by  the  Church  as  well  as  by  the 
Apostles  and  elders.^  A  meeting  was  held,  at  which 
they  narrated  their  experience  of  preaching  among  the 
Gentiles,  and  explained  the  question  that  had  arisen  out 
of  it.  Immediately  some  of  the  Christian  Pharisees^ 
got  up  and  formally  protested  against  those  things, 
insisting  that  before  being  received  as  Christians  the 
Gentiles  must  accept  the  entire  law  of  Moses  and 
be  circumcised.  The  question  was  too  serious,  and 
the  results  depending  on  it  too  far-reaching,  to  be 
decided  by  an  immediate  vote,  so  it  was  left  for  settle- 
ment at  a  future  meeting.  During  the  interval  Paul  and 
Barnabas  had  the  opportunity  of  a  private  interview  with 
the  three  great  leaders  of  the  Church — Peter,  James 
the  Lord's  brother,  and  John.  To  them  Paul  gave  a  full 
account  of  the  nature  of  the  Gospel  he  had  preached  to 
the  Gentiles,  and  of  his  reasons  for  not  demanding  of 
them  observance  of  all  the  rites  of  the  Mosaic  law.  So 
clearly  and  with  such  force  did  he  put  the  case, 
that  the  three  Apostles  were  entirely  gained  over 
to   his   view.     They  immediately   offered   to   him   and 

1  The  Churcli  and  the  Apostles  and  elders, —The  words 
imply  a  general  gathering  of  the  Church,  members  of  the  different 
synagogues  coming  together  with  the  elders  who  presided  over 
them. 

2  These  Pharisees  were  of  course  Christians.  While  on  this 
occasion  they  were  silenced,  they  became  bitter  enemies  of  Paul, 
and  on  many  occasions  afterwards  they  tried  to  injure  and  discredit 
his  teaching. 


THE  FIRST  COUNCIL  95 

Barnabas  the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  thereby  acknow- 
ledging them  as  called  of  God  to  be  Apostles  to  the 
Gentiles,  even  as  they  themselves  were  Apostles  to  the 
Jews.  With  what  feelings  of  profound  thankfulness 
Paul  and  Barnabas  would  return  that  night  to  their 
lodging,  we  can  well  understand.  They  had  convinced 
the  three  most  powerful  leaders  of  the  Church,  and 
a  great  point  was  gained. 

A  Great  Debate  (chap.  xv.  6-21). — Shortly  there- 
after the  Assembly — or,  as  it  is  usually  called,  the  Council 
— of  Jerusalem  met.  Not  only  the  Apostles  and  elders, 
but  apparently  the  whole  Church  was  represented,  and 
in  it  the  great  debate  came  on.  Intensely  interesting  it 
must  have  been  to  one  who,  like  Paul,  realised  how  much 
depended  on  it  for  the  cause  of  the  Gospel  and  the  salvation 
of  the  world.  There  was  much  eager  and  vehement  dis- 
cussion, not  without  angry  feeling.  The  Judaising  party 
had  their  supporters  in  the  Assembly,  and  these  demanded 
that  Titus  should  be  circumcised.  ^  Paul,  however,  felt  that 
this  would  be  to  give  up  the  whole  point,  and  he  would 
not  listen  to  it.  By  and  by,  after  the  subject  had  been 
discussed  at  considerable  length,  Peter  arose.  There 
could  be  little  doubt  as  to  which  side  he  would  take. 
His  address  took  the  form  of  an  appeal  to  history. 
He  reminded  them  that  this  question  had  really 
been  decided  long  ago,  for  had  not  God  directed 
him  to  go  to  Csesarea  and  preach  the  Gospel  to 
the  Gentile  household  of  Cornelius  ?  And  was  not 
God's  approval  of  his  doing  so  attested  when  the 
Holy  Spirit  came  upon  those  Gentiles,  even  as  He  had 
come  upon  themselves  at  the  beginning?  Why,  he 
asked,  should  they  lay  upon  the  Gentiles  a  yoke  which 
God  had  not  imposed  upon  them  ?  Even  the  Jews,  he 
argued,  must  be  saved,  not  by  observance  of  the  law, 
but  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  If  circumcision  was  neces- 
sary, then  faith  was  insufficient ;  but  seeing  they  all 
believed  that  the  grace  of  Christ  was  sufficient  for  salva- 
tion, it  would  not  be  reasonable — nor  could  it  be  God's 
1  Gal.  ii.  3-5. 


96     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

will — that  they  should  fetter  that  grace  by  superfluous 
and  vexatious  conditions.  If  the  Gentiles  had  faith  in 
Christ,  which  manifested  itself  in  a  holy  life,  why  impose 
upon  them  the  observances  of  the  law,  which  could  not 
justify  in  the  sight  of  God?  Thus  did  he  argue  for 
complete  freedom  to  the  new  converts.  The  address 
produced  a  marked  effect  upon  the  Assembly.  The 
excitement  calmed  down.  No  reply  was  made  by 
the  Judaising  party,  and  Barnabas  and  Paul  were  in- 
vited to  address  the  Council.  Barnabas,  who  was  better 
known  in  Jerusalem  than  Paul, — and  perhaps  more  ac- 
ceptable to  the  Christian  community  from  the  memory  of 
his  former  gifts  and  generosity,^ — spoke  first,  the  only  time 
we  find  him  put  first  since  their  visit  to  Cyprus.  Neither 
of  them  argued  the  question.  They  contented  them- 
selves with  relating  their  own  experience  as  missionaries 
among  the  Gentiles,  showing  how  God  had  answered 
the  prayers  of  the  Jerusalem  Church  2  in  a  manner  they 
had  not  thought  of,  and  had  testified  the  Divine  approval 
of  their  ministry  among  the  Gentiles  by  *' signs  and 
wonders,"  the  miracles  at  Paphos  and  Lystra,  no  doubt, 
being  mentioned  among  them.  Their  addresses  were 
listened  to  with  the  deepest  attention,  and  when  they  had 
finished,  James,  the  Lord's  brother,  who  presided  over 
the  Assembly,  rose  to  speak.  Every  one  felt  that  what  he 
might  say  would  really  settle  the  question.  He  summed 
up  the  debate,  and  concluded  by  commending  to  the 
Assembly  a  decision  of  the  question.  That  decision  he 
based  on  two  grounds :  ( i )  That  a  Divine  revelation 
had  been  given  to  Peter  directing  him  to  admit 
Gentiles  ;  and  (2)  that  this  was  exactly  in  accordance 
with  Old  Testament  prophecy.^  *'  Wherefore,"  he 
said,  "my  judgment*  is,  that  we  do  not  place 
obstacles^  in  the  way  of  those  who  from  among  the 
Gentiles  are  turned  to  God."     With  a  view,  however,  to 

1  Chap.  iv.  36,  37.  2  Chap.  iv.  30.  S  Amos  ix.  11,  13. 

4  My  sentence,  i.e.  "judgment"  (R.V.). 

B  Trouble  not  them. — The  verb  is  only  found  here  in  the  New 
Testament,  and  signifies  to  trouble  by  putting  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  another. 


THE  FIRST  COUNCIL  97 

the  peace  and  good  of  the  Church,  he  added  a  proposal 
that  they  should  enjoin  those  Gentiles,  seeing  that  they 
were  freed  from  legal  observances,  to  be  considerate  of 
the  feelings  and  scruples  of  their  Jewish  brethren,  and, 
in  particular,  to  "abstain  from  all  meats  offered  to 
idols,  from  fornication,  from  things  strangled,  and  from 
blood."  He  pointed  out  also  that  this  Christian  liberty 
allowed  to  the  Gentile  meant  no  disparagement  of  the 
law  of  Moses  still  to  be  observed  by  the  Jew,  as  "in 
every  synagogue  that  law  was  read  every  Sabbath  day." 
Thus  did  he  also  give  his  voice  in  favour  of  the  free 
admission  of  the  Gentiles.  This  address  of  James  ended 
the  debate.  His  proposal  was  unanimously  adopted, 
and  became  the  judgment  of  the  Assembly. 

Paul  had  gained  his  case.  Yet  the  conclusion  was  to 
a  certain  extent  of  the  nature  of  a  compromise.  Three 
of  the  four  restrictions  proposed  were  a  concession  to 
the  feelings  and  practice  of  the  Jews.  In  future  Jew  and 
Gentile  would  be  associated  together  in  the  Christian 
Church,  and  each  must  avoid  giving  offence  to  the 
other.  The  conditions  named  were  those  which  the 
Jews  required  of  a  proselyte  of  the  gate  before  he 
could  be  admitted  to  the  synagogue ;  so  that  while  on 
the  one  hand  they  would  not  be  a  grievous  burden  on 
the  Gentile,  on  the  other  the  Christian  Pharisees  could 
not  well  refuse  admission  to  those  who  fulfilled  the 
conditions  on  which  a  proselyte  was  admitted  to  their 
own  synagogue.  It  only  remained  now  that  steps 
should  be  taken  to  communicate  the  decision  to 
those  immediately  concerned.  For  this  the  Assembly 
selected  two  of  their  number,  prominent  men  in  the 
Church,  Judas  Barsabas  and  Silas  by  name,  and 
appointed  them  to  accompany  Paul  and  Barnabas  and 
their  fellow-deputies  back  to  Antioch,  bearing  with  them 
a  pastoral  letter  from  the  Assembly  intimating  the 
decision.* 

1  This  was  the  earliest  circular  letter  in  the  Christian  Church  of 
Irhich  we  have  any  record.  In  later  years  these  became  common, 
and  the  most  important  of  them  were  some  of  Paul's  own  Epistles. 


98     STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OP  THE  APOSTLES 

Announcing  the  Decision  (chap.  xv.  22-29). — 

Furnished  with  this  letter  ^  Paul  and  the  others  left 
Jerusalem  without  delay,  and  after  six  weeks'  travelling 
reached  Antioch.  There  they  were  cordially  welcomed 
by  the  Christians  who  had  been  anxiously  awaiting  the 
result  of  the  appeal.  A  large  gathering  assembled  to 
receive  them,  the  Assembly's  letter  was  presented  and 
read,  and  the  decision  it  announced  was  hailed  with 
acclamation.  There  was  rejoicing  as  if  a  threatened 
calamity  had  been  averted,  and  Luke,  with  a  reference 
perhaps  to  the  meaning  of  Barnabas's  name,^  says,  "  they 
rejoiced  for  the  consolation "  thus  brought  to  them. 
Judas  and  Barsabas,  who  possessed  the  prophetic  gift, 
delivered  addresses  tending  to  confirm  the  faith  of  the 
Christians  and  quicken  their  zeal.  The  long  time  of 
excitement  and  anxiety  in  the  Church  at  Antioch  was 
now  ended,  and  its  members  once  more  settled  down 
quietly  to  prosecute  the  work  of  God  in  peace.  Alas  ! 
however,  it  was  only  for  a  time.  Those  Judaising 
Christians  from  Jerusalem  would  come  to  them  again. 

Thus  a  great  step  was  taken  in  the  founding  of 
the  Christian  Church.  The  story  of  this  great  debate 
so  long  ago  has  more  than  a  passing  interest  for  us. 
We  see  those  men  into  whose  hands  was  committed 
the  guidance  of  the  Church  of  God  divided  in  opinion, 
eager  in  debate,  the  sparks  of  passion  sometimes  flashing 
from  the  anvil  of  controversy,  yet  all  of  them  in  the  end 
guided  to  what  is  the  will  of  God,  and  we  learn  a 
lesson  as  to  God's  method  of  guiding  His  Church  through 
the  ages.  He  dwells  in  His  Church  by  His  Holy  Spirit, 
and  amidst  all  the  errors  and  frailty  of  erring  and  sinful 
men  He  will  fulfil  His  purpose  and  perform  His 
promise. 

A  Sad  Parting  (chap.  xv.  36-41). — After  a  brief 
stay  in  Antioch,  Judas  and  Silas  prepared  to  return 
home.      On    Silas,   however,   the   spell   of   Paul's   in- 

1  The  decree  was  the  voice  of  the  whole  Church,  and  the  letter  is 
written  in  name  of  the  "  apostles,  elders,  and  brethren." 
a  "  Son  of  consolation. 


THE  FIRST  COUNCIL  99 

fluence  seems  to  have  fallen,  and  either  he  did  not 
go  away  at  all,  or  he  soon  returned  to  Antioch  and 
cast  in  his  lot  with  the  Apostles  who  remained  there 
teaching  and  preaching  the  Word.  After  some  months 
spent  in  this  work  the  old  mission-hunger  kindled  again 
in  the  heart  of  Paul.  His  thoughts  went  out  to  the 
churches  he  had  planted  in  other  places,  and  he  longed 
to  know  how  it  fared  with  them.  Now  that  peace 
reigned  once  more  in  the  Church  at  Antioch  and  other 
teachers  were  labouring  there,  he  felt  that  he  might  be 
spared,  so  he  proposed  to  his  old  friend  and  missionary 
colleague  Barnabas  that  they  should  go  off  together  again 
and  visit  all  the  cities  where  they  had  founded  churches 
on  their  former  journey.  Barnabas  readily  acceded  to 
the  proposal,  and  suggested  that  they  should,  as 
formerly,  take  his  kinsman  John  Mark  as  their 
companion  and  attendant.  To  this,  however,  Paul 
strongly  objected.  Mark  had  forsaken  them  on  their 
former  journey,  leaving  them  in  the  midst  of  their 
difficulties  at  Perga,  in  Pamphylia,  and  he  urged  that  it 
would  not  be  right  to  take  such  a  one  again.  Each  was 
so  firm  in  his  own  determination  that  neither  would  give 
way.  Barnabas  would  not  go  without  Mark,  Paul 
would  not  go  with  him,  and  a  sharp  contention  arose  be- 
tween them.  There  is  little  doubt  that  sharp  words  were 
spoken,  till  in  the  end  the  dispute  became  so  hot  that  the 
only  course  open  to  them  was  mutual  separation.  And  so 
they  parted.  There  is  something  touchingly  sad  in  such 
a  parting  of  two  good  Christian  men.  They  had  been 
friends  probably  from  boyhood.  When  Paul  came  back 
to  Jerusalem  from  Damascus  a  Christian,  it  was  Barnabas 
who  welcomed  him  and  took  him  by  the  hand.  It  was 
Barnabas,  too,  who  had  gone  to  Tarsus  to  seek  out  Paul 
and  lead  him  into  missionary  work.  Since  that  day 
both  of  them  had  been  devoted  missionaries,  and 
together  they  had  shared  the  hardships  and  the  joys  of 
the  missionary  calling.  And  now  they  parted  in 
anger — never  to  work  together  again.  It  is  doubt- 
fnl   if   they  ever   even    saw    each    other    again ;    but 


100  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

though  they  might  differ  in  their  estimate  of  Mark 
they  were  at  one  in  devotion  to  the  work  of  the  Gospel. 
Mercifully  their  friendship  was  not  altogether  broken. 
At  this  point  both  Barnabas  and  Mark  drop  out  of  the 
Book  of  Acts,  but  Paul  mentions  both  in  his  Epistles, 
and  always  in  terms  of  kindly  regard.  From  certain  of 
these  notices  ^  we  learn  that  Paul  and  Mark  met  during 
the  former's  first  imprisonment  at  Rome,  and  the  Apostle 
found  him  one  who  was  "profitable  for  the  ministry," 
and  whom  he  desired  to  have  with  him  at  the  last. 

It  must  have  been  a  sad  parting  to  both,  but  God 
can  overrule  evil  for  good,  and  the  result  to  the  Church 
was  two  missions  instead  of  one,  so  that  more  countries 
were  visited,  and  the  Gospel  was  more  widely  proclaimed. 
Barnabas  was  the  first  to  take  his  departure.  Taking 
Mark  as  his  companion,  he  sailed  away  to  Cyprus 
to  preach  the  Gospel  to  his  own  countrymen.  Paul, 
on  the  other  hand,  chose  Silas  as  his  companion, 
doubtless  on  account  of  the  special  fitness  he  had 
shown  for  the  work.  It  would  appear  that  Silas  took 
the  place  of  Barnabas  rather  than  Mark,  who  had 
been  only  an  attendant,  and  together  they  went  north- 
ward through  Syria  and  Cilicia.  The  people  of  Antioch 
seem  to  have  sympathised  with  Paul  in  the  matter, 
for  while  Barnabas  and  Mark  left  quietly  without  any 
special  expression  of  sympathy  or  approval,  a  valedictory 
meeting  of  the  Christians  was  held  in  connection  with 
the  departure  of  Paul  and  Silas — a  meeting  at  which, 
with  earnest  words  and  prayers,  they  were  commended  to 
the  grace  of  God. 

^  See  Col.  iv.  xo ;  Phileinon  34 ;  2  Tun.  iv<  zi. 


PAULS  SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY  loi 


CHAPTER  XVI 

PAUL'S  SECOND   MISSIONARY  JOURNEY 

A  New  Companion  (chap.  xvi.  i). — Thus  Paul 
started  on  his  second  missionary  journey  with  a  new 
fellow-labourer  in  place  of  the  friend  who  had  been  so 
constantly  with  him  before,  and  bearing  in  his  heart  an 
unhappy  remembrance  of  the  sad  quarrel.  Silas,  it  will 
be  remembered,  was  one  of  the  two  deputies  sent  to 
Antioch  to  announce  the  decision  of  the  Church  at 
Jerusalem  regarding  the  admission  of  the  Gentiles. 
Even  before  that  he  had  held  a  prominent  place  among 
the  brethren  in  Jerusalem.^  He  was  associated  with  Paul 
in  the  writing  of  several  of  his  Epistles,  being  mentioned 
under  the  Latin  form  of  his  name,  Silvanus,  from  which 
it  has  been  concluded  that  he  was  one  of  the  Greek- 
speaking  Jews  so  often  referred  to  in  the  Book  of  Acts. 
Like  Paul  himself,  he  appears  to  have  been  a  Roman 
citizen.^  Notwithstanding  the  sad  circumstances  which 
brought  it  about,  it  was  a  happy  providence  that  fur- 
nished the  Apostle  with  a  companion  so  valuable  and 
helpful.  Paul's  first  object  on  this  journey  was  to 
visit  and  confirm  the  churches  formerly  founded,^  and 
a  beginning  was  made  with  the  churches  in  Syria  and 
Cilicia.  Barnabas  had  gone  to  his  native  island, 
Cyprus ;  now  Paul  goes  to  his  native  province  of 
Cilicia,  doubtless  visiting  his  native  city  of  Tarsus. 
What  a  home  -  coming  it  would  be  !  He  made  but 
a  short  stay,  however,  for  soon  we  find  him  and  his 
companions  toiling  up  through  one  of  the  passes  in 
the  great  Taurus  range  of  mountains — probably  through 
the  pass  known  as  the  Cilician  Gates,  so  famous 
in  history,* — till  they  reach  the  bleak   table -land   of 

1  See  chap.  xv.  22.  ^  2  See  chap.  xvi.  37. 

8  And  so  carry  out  the  intention  expressed  in  chap.  xv.  36. 
*  The  Cilician  Gates.— One  of  the  routes  traversed  by  the  armies 
of  the  Crusaders. 


I02  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

Lycaonia,  whence  they  make  their  way  down  to  the 
town  of  Derbe.  This  was  the  farthest  point  Paul  and 
Barnabas  had  reached  on  the  former  journey.  This 
time,  however,  Paul,  travelling  by  a  different  route, 
approached  the  town  from  the  opposite  direction. 
With  glad  surprise  the  Christians  of  Derbe  welcomed 
him.  Surely  they  must  also  have  inquired  about  Bar- 
nabas. Did  they  ask  why  he  had  not  come  too  ?  Per- 
haps we  can  understand  something  of  how  Paul  would 
feel  if  they  did.  If  he  had  erred  in  the  dispute,  he 
would  almost  certainly  find  that  question  meet  him 
awkwardly  in  almost  every  city  he  revisited. 

A  True  Son  in  the  Faith  (chap.  xvi.  1-5). — From 

Derbe  they  passed  on  to  Lystra.  Only  one  incident  of 
their  visit  is  recorded,  but  it  is  one  which  had  a 
happy  influence  on  the  whole  future  of  the  Apostle. 
Among  those  converted  to  Christianity  during  the 
former  visit  was  a  lad  named  Timothy,  and  it  was 
probably  to  the  house  of  his  mother,  Eunice,  and  his 
grandmother,  Lois,  that  Paul  and  Silas  were  invited 
on  this  occasion.  Both  were  devout  Jewesses  who  had 
accepted  the  Christian  faith,  and  by  them  Timothy 
had  been  trained  from  his  childhood  in  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures.^  As  he  grew  up  he  became  conspicuous  for 
his  devotion  and  his  unfeigned  faith,  while  at  the  same 
time  he  was  so  attractive  in  character  and  so  blameless 
in  life  that  the  Christians  of  his  native  town  bore  willing 
and  hearty  testimony  to  his  worth.  In  spite  of  his 
youth,  and  also  of  a  natural  shyness  and  timidity,  he  was 
very  zealous  for  the  furtherance  of  the  Gospel,  and 
already  he  had  been  called  to  service  in  the  Church 
there.  To  this  young  man  Paul  was  greatly  attracted. 
Silas  had  taken  the  place  of  Barnabas,  but  the  want  of 
some  one  to  fill  the  place  of  John  Mark  was  still  felt, 
and  Paul  invited  Timothy  to  share  their  missionary 
labours.  This  the  youthful  disciple  readily  agreed  to 
do.  It  is  believed  that  his  father  was  already  dead, 
and,  if  so,  it  says  much  for  the  self-sacrificing  spirit  of 
^  See  a  Tim.  i.  5  ;  iii.  15. 


PAUJJS  SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY  103 

the  widowed  Eunice  that  she  seems  to  have  offered 
no  objection  when  the  missionary  call  came  to  her 
only  son.  It  was  indeed  a  happy  day  for  Paul,  for 
Timothy's  gentle  spirit  and  affectionate  devotion  soon 
made  him  very  dear  to  him.  He  is  mentioned  in 
nearly  all  Paul's  letters.  He  was  his  companion  in 
many  a  toilsome  journey,  and  his  comfort  in  the  time 
of  imprisonment  and  approaching  death.  ^  Although 
Timothy's  mother  had  been  a  Jewess,  his  father  had  been 
of  Gentile  birth.  2  The  work  to  which  the  missionary 
band  were  now  going  would  lie  among  Jews  as  well  as 
Gentiles,  and  Paul  was  well  aware  that  to  travel  among 
the  synagogues  accompanied  by  one  who,  though  entitled 
on  his  mother's  account  to  be  regarded  as  a  Jew,  was 
yet  uncircumcised,  would  be  a  great  hindrance  to  their 
success.  Therefore,  although  he  strongly  maintained 
that  circumcision  was  not  necessary  for  the  salvation  of 
the  Gentiles,  yet  as  a  matter  of  prudence,  and  to  avoid 
giving  unnecessary  offence  and  so  hindering  the  work, 
he  had  Timothy  circumcised.  Thereafter  the  young 
missionary  was  formally  ordained  by  the  laying  on  of 
the  hands  of  the  Presbytery  ^  as  well  as  the  hands  of  the 
Apostle  himself,*  and  he  went  forth  with  them,  the  con- 
secrated companion  of  their  wanderings  and  their  work. 

Through  Phrygia  and  Galatia  (chap.  xvi.  6-8). 
— Thus  reinforced,  they  went  through  the  cities  of 
Phrygia  and  Galatia.  In  each  Christian  community 
they  read  the  circular  letter  from  the  Church  at  Jeru- 
salem, and  Silas,  as  one  of  the  deputies  sent  by  the 
Apostles,  would  explain  that  the  Gentiles  were  all 
welcome  to  enter  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  at  the 
same  time  urging  them,  in  the  interests  of  peace  and 
unity,  to  observe  the  four  points  of  conduct  mentioned 
in  the  decrees.  Everywhere  this  was  a  cause  of  rejoic- 
ing, and  the  churches  visited  were  confirmed  in  their 

1  See  Phil.  iL  20-22 ;  2  Tim.  iv.  9-13. 

3  A  Qreek. — ^Whether  a  proselyte  of  the  gate  or  not  >ve  are  not 
told. 

S  See  X  Tim.  iv.  14.  «  See  a  Tim.  i.  6. 


I04  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

Christian  faith.  Under  the  constraining  guidance  of  God's 
Spirit  the  travellers  followed  a  route  different  from  that 
which  they  themselves  had  intended,  till  finally,  after 
long  journeying,  it  brought  them  to  the  town  of  Troas,^ 
on  the  shores  of  the  i^gean  Sea,  near  the  entrance  to 
the  Dardanelles.  An  important  seaport  and  a  Roman 
colony,  Troas  was  a  busy  town,  and  people  of  many 
nations  would  be  found  thronging  its  streets.  Yet  the 
missionaries  do  not  seem  to  have  preached  there  at  all. 
During  their  short  stay  they  met  Luke,  the  beloved 
physician,  the  writer  of  the  Book  of  Acts.  How  they 
met  we  do  not  know.  "Whether  Paul  had  to  consult 
the  physician  about  his  health,  or  whether  he  made 
his  acquaintance  simply  as  one  of  the  little  group  of 
Christian  converts  in  Troas — for  Luke  was  a  Christian 
— we  cannot  tell,  but,  from  the  day  they  met,  those  two 
servants  of  Jesus  felt  drawn  to  each  other,  and  when 
Paul  and  his  companions  left  Troas,  Luke  accompanied 
them.  2  Thereafter  they  were  much  together,  and  of  all 
the  Apostle's  fellow-workers  none — except  Timothy — 
was  a  more  intimate  friend  and  congenial  companion 
than  Luke. 

Europe  for  Christ  (chap.  xvi.  9-12). — The  party 
rested  in  Troas,  waiting  for  further  guidance  from  God. 
During  those  quiet  days  we  can  fancy  Paul,  as  he  walked 
by  the  shore,  looking  across  the  blue  ^gean  towards 
the  scattered  islands  glowing  purple  in  the  sunset, — with 
the  mist-clad  mountains  of  Europe  behind  them  on  the 
dim  horizon, — his  thoughts  wandering  the  while  away  to 
the  world  beyond.  Later  in  life  he  tells  us  that  often 
his  thoughts  had  turned  towards  Rome.  Was  he  think- 
ing now  as  he  looked  over  the  sea  that  away  beyond 
those  mountains  lay  Rome — that  capital  of  the  world 
which  he  longed  to  see, — and  that  over  all  that  land 
there  hung  spiritual  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death  ? 

1  Troas. — Its  full  name  was  Alexandria  Troas,  so  called  in  honour 
of  Alexander  the  Great.  Itwas  situated  on  the  sea-coast,  about 
four  miles  south-west  of  the  site  of  Troy. 

2  This  we  learn  from  the  sudden  adoption  of  the  pronoun  "  we  " 
in  verse  lo.    See  Introduction,  p.  3. 


PAULS  SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY xo^ 

One  thing  we  know  :  the  great  question  occupying  his 
thoughts  was,  Where  should  he  next  preach  the  Gospel  ? 
That  inquiry  found  daily  expression  in  prayer  till  at  length 
God's  answer  came.  With  the  thought  of  Europe  and 
its  darkness  in  his  heart,  he  one  night  lay  down  to 
rest,  and  it  scarcely  seemed  strange  when  in  a  vision 
of  the  night  a  man  from  that  far-off  land  appeared 
standing  beside  him  with  outstretched  hand  appealing 
to  him — *'  Come  over  into  Macedonia,  and  help  us  ! " 
Next  morning,  when  he  told  this  to  Silas  and  Timothy 
and  Luke,  all  were  agreed  that  this  was  the  answer  to 
their  prayers.  God  was  calling  them  to  go  over  to 
Macedonia  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  people  there. 
Immediately,  therefore,  they  put  themselves  in  line 
with  what  they  took  to  be  the  purpose  of  God. 
Repairing  to  the  crowded  harbour,  they  found  a  ship, 
and  with  as  little  delay  as  possible  embarked.  It  was 
not  long  till  the  little  coasting  vessel  with  its  high- 
peaked  sail  was  speeding  before  the  southerly  breeze  over 
the  hundred  miles  of  sea  that  had  to  be  crossed.  Little 
did  those  boatmen  think  that  they  were  bearing  the  richest 
treasure  ever  borne  to  the  shores  of  Europe — the  message 
of  eternal  life  !  They  were  but  a  group  of  humble-looking 
men  they  had  on  board,  but  the  purpose  of  their  journey 
was  to  claim  Europe  for  Christ.  So  favourable  was  the 
weather  that  they  accomplished  in  two  days  the  passage 
which  we  are  told  took  them  five  days  on  their  return.* 
The  first  night  saw  them  anchored  off  the  island  of 
Samothracia,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  second  day  they 
reached  the  busy  seaport  of  Neapolis,  the  port  of  Philippi. 
As  soon  as  the  vessel  was  anchored  in  the  roadstead 
they  went  ashore — the  first  Christian  missionaries  that 
ever  set  foot  on  the  soil  of  Europe.  If  they  could  only 
have  known  the  marvellous  fruit  that  was  to  grow  for 
the  world  from  the  seed  they  were  so  patiently  sowing, 
how  their  hearts  would  have  been  cheered  I  But  God's 
servants  have  to  work  as  well  as  to  walk  by  faith,  not 
by  sight. 

A  Chap.  XX.  6. 


io6  STUDIES  IN  ACTS.  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

Happy  Days  in  Philippi— First-fruits  (chap. 

xvi.  12-15). — Twelve  miles  distant  was  the  town  of 
Philippi,  which  is  described  by  Luke  as  the  first  city 
of  that  district  of  Macedonia.^  It  was  a  historic  spot.  In 
commemoration  of  the  victory  that  ended  the  Roman 
Republic,  the  Emperor  Augustus  raised  it  to  the  rank 
of  a  Roman  colony.  To  us,  however,  it  has  happier 
memories  as  the  first  city  in  Europe  in  which  Paul 
preached  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  Being  not  a 
commercial  city  but  a  military  colony,  it  had  but  few 
Jewish  residents — so  few  indeed  that  there  was  no 
synagogue,  and  the  pious  Jews  who  wished  to  worship 
God  retired  to  a  quiet  spot  on  the  river-bank,  a  short 
distance  out  of  the  city,  where  there  was  a  place  of 
prayer.  2  When  the  Sabbath  came  the  missionaries  went 
to  this  place,  but  to  their  surprise  they  found  only  a  few 
women  assembled  there.^  They  sat  down,  however,  and 
joined  these  in  their  worship,  and  Paul  soon  found  an 
opportunity  of  speaking  to  them  of  Jesus.  The  women 
listened  attentively,  and  the  words  spoken  were  so 
blessed  by  God  that  one  of  the  little  group  of  listeners 
was  converted  and  became  a  Christian.  By  and  by  both 
she  and  her  household  were  baptized.  Thus  the  first 
convert  received  into  the  Christian  Church  in  Europe 
was  a  woman  named  Lydia,  a  seller  of  purple,  who  had 
come  from  the  city  of  Thyatira,  in  Asia.  Apparently 
she  was  a  woman  of  influence  and  position,  and  in  her 
gratitude  she  begged  Paul  and  his  companions  to  make 
her  house  their  home  while  they  remained  in  the  city. 
So  earnestly  did  she  press  her  offer  of  hospitality  that 

1  The  chief  city,  etc. — Better,  "  which  is  a  city  of  Macedonia, 
the  first  of  the  district,  a  colony  "  (R.V.).  Luke  probably  meant 
that  it  was  the  first  city  of  Macedonia  proper  at  which  Paul 
arrived. 

2  A  place  of  prayer. — In  cities  where  the  Jews  were  few  in 
number,  or  where  they  were  not  allowed  to  have  a  synagogue,  they 
had  commonly  places  of  prayer  which  they  called  proseuchai. 
These  were  enclosures  open  to  the  sky,  and  usually  near  a  river  or 
on  the  shore,  for  the  ceremonial  washings. 

8  Claudius  had  banished  the  Jews  from  Rome,  and  therefore 
from  the  colonies,  so  there  were  only  Jewish  women  and  women 
proselytes. 


PAULAS  SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY  107 

Paul  accepted  it,  and  they  remained  with  her  for  several 
weeks.  Very  encouraging  and  happy  weeks  they  must 
have  been.  Every  Sabbath  they  went  to  the  Jews'  place 
of  prayer  by  the  river-bank,  and  there  Paul  preached  to 
all  who  came,  with  the  result  that  a  church  of  Christian 
believers  was  formed,  including  both  Jews  and  Gentiles. 
By  and  by,  however,  this  bright,  glad  time  had  a  dismal 
ending. 

Popular  Violence  (chap.  xvi.  16-23). — One  day  on 
their  way  to  the  river-side  the  missionaries  were  met  by  a 
poor  slave-girl,  who  was  possessed  by  a  spirit  of  divination,^ 
and  who,  it  was  said,  could  in  her  wild  ravings  reveal  by 
mystical  words  and  signs  things  that  were  to  come.  She 
was  greatly  run  after  as  a  fortune-teller  and  diviner  by  the 
ignorant  and  credulous  people  of  the  town,  and  thus  she 
was  a  source  of  much  profit  to  her  masters.  How  she 
had  heard  of  the  Apostles  and  their  teaching  we  do  not 
know,  but  she  took  to  following  them  daily  towards  the 
river-bank,  calling  out,  **  These  men  are  the  servants  of 
the  Most  High  God,  and  they  have  come  to  show  us  the 
way  of  salvation."  This  she  did  day  after  day  for  some 
time,  but  one  morning  Paul  turned  round,  and  addressing 
the  spirit  by  which  she  was  possessed,  said,  **  I  com- 
mand thee  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  to  come  out  of 
her."  The  calm,  authoritative  word  produced  an  im- 
mediate effect.  The  wild  paroxysms  were  stilled,  and 
the  girl  was  restored  to  her  right  mind.  Her  masters, 
realising  that  their  gains  were  gone,  were  furiously 
indignant.  They  seized  Paul  and  Silas,  and,  aided 
by  the  crowd  that  had  gathered,  dragged  them  into  the 
market-place  before  the  sitting  magistrates,  shouting  out 
loudly,  "  These  men,  who  are  Jews,  are  greatly  troubling 
our  city,  and  teaching  customs  which  it  is  not  lawful  for 
us  Romans  to  receive  or  observe."  The  careless 
magistrates,  without  inquiring  into  the  case,  handed  the 
two  despised  Jews  over  to  the  *'  lictors  "  or  sergeants  to 
be  scourged  ;  and  so,  before  they  could  utter  a  word 

1  A  spirit  of  divination.— Literally,  "  a  spirit,  a  python."    She 
«ras  a  sort  of  ventriloquist. 


iu8   STUDIES  IN  ..CTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

in  their  own  defence,  Paul  and  Silas  ^  were  seized  and 
dragged  to  the  public  whipping-place  in  the  middle  of  the 
market  square.  They  were  stripped  to  the  waist,  their 
garments  being  rudely  torn  off  their  backs ;  their  hands 
were  tied  to  the  post,  and  amidst  the  jeers  and  insults  of 
the  crowd  they  were  ignominiously  and  brutally  flogged 
with  thick  birch  rods  ^  till  the  blood  stream.ed  from  their 
scarred  and  lacerated  backs,^  the  magistrates  in  the  dis- 
tance quietly  looking  on.  Then,  faint  and  bleeding  from 
the  rods,  they  were  cast  into  prison,  and  the  jailor 
strictly  charged  to  "  keep  them  safe,"  a  charge  which  he 
fulfilled  with  rigorous  and  conscientious  cruelty.  He 
thrust  them  into  the  innermost  prison,*  a  damp,  cold, 
pestilential  hole,  and  forced  their  bleeding  limbs  into  a 
cramped  and  painful  position  by  means  of  the  stocks,  an 
instrument  employed  to  confine  and  torture  the  worst 
malefactors.  Such  was  Europe's  welcome  for  the  Gospel 
and  the  messengers  who  brought  it ! 

Midnight  in  the  Prison  (chap.  xvi.  25-34). — 

Faint,  bleeding,  sick  with  suffering,  the  poor  innocent 
missionaries  were  left  for  the  night  in  this  dank,  loathsome 
place.  To  them  sitting  in  the  stocks,  racked  with  pain, 
sleep  was  impossible,  and  the  weary  night  moved  slowly  on. 
But  in  their  distress  they  prayed  to  God,  and  soon  a  strange 
calm — the  very  peace  of  God — came  into  their  hearts.  By 
and  by  they  began  to  sing  together  some  of  the  old  Hebrew 
psalms.  It  was  midnight,  and  the  other  prisoners,  hear- 
ing them,  wondered.     Probably  such  singing  was  never 

'^'  y  Paul  and  Silas. — Luke  and  Timotheus  escaped  probably  as 
being  less  prominent. 

2  Commanded  to  beat  tbem.— The  Greek  verb  gives  the  special 
Roman  form  of  punishment,  that  of  being  beaten  with  the  rods 
of  the  liciors.  This,  therefore,  takes  its  place  as  one  of  the  three 
instances  to  which  Paul  refers  in  2  Cor.  xi.  25. 

3  Many  stripes. — The  words  imply  a  punishment  of  more  than 
usual  severity,  such  as  would  leave  their  backs  lacerated  and 
bleeding. 

4  The  inner  prison. — Those  who  have  seen  an  Eastern  dun- 
geon, or  even  the  Mamertine  Prison  at  Rome,  can  form  some  idea 
of  the  damp,  dark,  foul  den  underground  into  which  the  two  mis- 
sionaries were  now  thrust.  And  as  if  this  were  not  enough,  their 
feet  were  ooade  fast  in  the  stocks. 


Paul's  second  missionary  journey lo^ 

before  heard  in  that  dungeon.  Suddenly  a  strange,  rum- 
bling sound  interrupted  the  singing.  A  crash  followed. 
The  foundations  of  the  prison  seemed  to  rock,  the  walls 
tottered,  the  doors  burst  open,  and  the  prisoners'  chains 
were  loosened  from  their  fastenings  in  the  wall.  It  was 
an  earthquake  !  Awakened  by  the  noise,  and  startled 
at  seeing  the  doors  open  and  the  prisoners,  as  he  thought, 
escaped,  the  jailor  was  in  a  state  of  terrible  consternation. 
Specially  charged  as  he  had  been  to  keep  them  safe,  he 
knew  that  his  own  life  would  be  the  penalty  for  their 
escape,^  and  in  his  despair  he  drew  his  sword  to  kill  himself. 
Suddenly  he  was  arrested  by  a  calm,  clear  voice  from  the 
inner  prison.  It  was  Paul's  voice  calling,  "  Do  thyself  no 
harm  !  We  are  all  here."  Yet  more  startled,  and  more 
strangely  impressed  than  ever,  the  jailor  called  for  lights, 
and  springing  down  into  the  dark  dungeon,  flung  himself 
at  the  feet  of  the  Apostles,  crying  out,  "  Sirs,  what 
must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  "  It  was  the  cry  of  a  stricken 
soul,  and  Paul  met  it  with  the  memorable  answer, 
**  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be 
saved,  and  thy  house."  Then,  weak  and  ill  as  they  were, 
Paul  and  Silas  explained  to  him  the  wonderful  meaning 
of  these  words,  and  spoke  of  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Saviour 
from  sin.  Afterwards  the  jailor,  moved  with  pity  for 
their  condition,  took  them  to  his  house  and  washed  their 
wounded  backs,  which  had  been  left  bleeding  and  uncared 
for  when  they  were  thrown  into  the  dungeon.  But  there 
was  a  holier  washing  in  the  prison  that  night,^  for  after 
learning  the  Gospel  from  Paul  and  Silas  the  jailor  and 
all  his  house  believed  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
were  baptized.  So  the  two  persecuted  Apostles,  even  in 
that  awful  night,  had  the  joy  of  seeing  souls  brought  to 
Christ.  It  made  them  almost  forget  their  sufferings. 
They  had  not  thought  of  food  or  rest ;  but  now  the  jailor, 
his  soul  filled  with  a  new  joy,  set  meat  before  them. 
They  may  well  have  been  in  need  of  it,  for  if  the  tumult 

1  Cf.  chap.  xii.  19 ;  also  chap,  xxvii.  42. 

3  "  He  washed  them  from  their  stripes,  and  was  washed  from  his 
"— Chiysostom. 


no  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

began,  as  is  likely,  when  they  were  going  to  the  river- 
side for  morning  prayer,  ^  they  had  probably  been  fasting 
for  nearly  twenty-four  hours. 

The  Tables  turned  (chap.  xvi.  35 -4o).  —  Next 
morning  brought  a  great  change.  The  magistrates  were 
troubled  and  unhappy.  Doubtless  the  earthquake  had 
alarmed  them.  Possibly  they  had  also  heard  something 
of  the  startling  events  of  the  night.  Certain  it  is  that  they 
sent  the  ' '  lictors  "  or  sergeants — probably  the  very  men 
who  had  inflicted  the  flogging — with  a  message  to  the 
keeper  of  the  prison  bidding  him  let  those  men  go. 
Very  gladly  the  now  kind-hearted  jailor  hastened  to 
deliver  so  welcome  a  message,  and  bade  the  Apostles  go 
in  peace.  How  surprised  and  alarmed  he  must  have 
been  when,  he  saw  how  Paul  received  the  message  ! 
Both  Paul  and  Silas  were  Roman  citizens,  and  Paul  well 
knew  that  in  scourging  and  imprisoning  them  these 
magistrates  had  committed  a  grave  offence  against  the 
Roman  law — an  offence  for  which,  if  reported,  they 
were  liable  to  be  punished  with  death.  Accordingly, 
when  he  received  the  message  he  replied,  *'No, 
indeed !  They  have  beaten  us  publicly,  uncondemned, 
— men  who  are  Roman  citizens  1  They  have  cast  us 
into  prison,  and  now  they  would  thrust  us  out 
secretly !  No,  indeed  !  Let  them  come  themselves 
and  take  us  out."  The  startled  lictors  quickly  bore 
this  message  to  the  magistrates,  who  were  greatly 
alarmed.  Aware  of  the  serious  offence  they  had  com- 
mitted, they  immediately  hastened  to  the  prison  and 
entreated  the  prisoners  to  pardon  them.  With  their 
own  hands  they  brought  them  out  into  the  street,  and 
begged  as  a  favour  that  they  would  quietly  leave  the 
city  at  once.  This,  however,  Paul  and  Silas  would  not 
do.  They  went  back  to  the  house  of  Lydia,  where  they 
had  been  so  happy  before  this  outbreak  occurred,  and 
there  they  waited  some  time, — probably  till  they  were 
recovered  sufficiently  to  travel  farther.  Meanwhile  they 
met  with  and  instructed  the  Christians.     Then  they  left 

1  At  9  A.M. 


PERSECUTED  FROM  CITY  TO  CITY      iii 

the  city  of  Philippi,  taking  Timothy   with  them,  but 
apparently  leaving  Luke  behind.^ 


CHAPTER  XVII 

PERSECUTED   FROM    CITY   TO  CITY 

TheSSalonica  (chap.  xvii.  1-9). — Leaving  Philippi, 
Paul,  accompanied  by  Silas  and  Timothy,  travelled 
westwards  to  Thessalonica,^  the  capital  of  Macedonia, 
passing  on  their  way  through  Amphipolis^  and  Apol- 
lonia.*  In  Thessalonica  there  was  a  large  colony  of 
Jews,  and  the  finest  synagogue  in  the  country  was  there. 
On  three  successive  Sabbaths  the  missionaries  went  to  this 
synagogue  and  preached  about  Jesus.  Some  of  the  Jews 
believed,  and  a  still  larger  number  of  the  proselytes,  and 
also  many  of  the  leading  women  of  the  place,  became 
Christians.  S  oon ,  however,  the  unbelieving  Jews,  envious 
and  enraged  at  this  success,  stirred  up  the  idle  rabble 
against  the  preachers,  and  a  great  disturbance  arose.  The 
house  in  which  they  were  living  was  attacked,  and  Jason, 
their  host,  was  dragged  before  the  rulers  of  the  city,^ 

1  They  departed.—"  They,"  not  Luke.     Note  the  pronoun. 

2  Thessalonica. — From  very  early  times  this  had  been  an  im- 
portant city.  Its  old  name  "  Therma  "  was  changed  to  Thessalonica 
in  honour  of  the  sister  of  Alexander  the  Great.  Paul  afterwards 
addressed  two  of  his  epistles  to  the  Thessalonians.  It  is  now  called 
Saloniki,  and  is  the  second  city  in  European  Turkey,  having  a  popu- 
lation of  about  100,000,  of  whom  more  than  half  are  said  to  be  Jews. 

8  AmphipollS. — A  town  33  miles  from  Philippi.  Its  name  was 
given  to  it  because  it  was  as  nearly  as  possible  enclosed  by  the 
winding  stream  of  the  river  Strymon. 

4  Apollonia. — About  30  miles  farther  on  than  Amphipolis,  and 
37  from  Thessalonica,  so  that  in  going  from  Philippi  to  Thessalonica 
the  missionaries  travelled  100  miles. 

6  Rulers  of  the  city.— The  title  here  used-;-"  Politarchs  "—is 
found  nowhere  else  in  literature,  but  the  word  itself  and  the  verb 
formed  from  it  have  been  found  in  inscriptions,  most  of  them  recently 
discovered.  There  are,  according  to  Professor  Burton,  Chicago, 
seventeen — ^perhaps  nineteen — inscriptions  which  attest  the  office  of 
"  Politarch  in  ancient  cities,  and  those  referring  to  Thessalonica 
afford  striking  confirmation  of  the  truthfulness  of  the  account  here 
given. 


112  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

charged  with  sheltering  men  who  sought  to  overthrow  the 
dominion  of  Caesar.  So  great  was  the  excitement  that 
the  Christians  were  thankful  to  get  Paul  and  his  com- 
panions sent  off  out  of  the  city  by  night. 

Beroea  (chap.  xvii.  10-13). — Making  their  way  in 
the  darkness  out  into  the  country,  the  expelled  Apostles 
continued  their  course  westwards,  and  after  two  days 
came  to  Beroea.  Here  also  there  was  a  large  number 
of  Jews,  and  when  the  Sabbath  came  round,  the  Apostles 
went  as  usual  to  the  synagogue  and  spoke  of  Jesus 
Christ.  The  Jews  here  were  less  bigoted  than  those 
of  Thessalonica,  and  they  got  quite  a  respectful  hearing. 
Moreover,  those  Beroeans,  when  they  went  home,  care- 
fully searched  the  Scriptures  to  see  whether  what  had 
been  said  by  the  Apostles  was  true.  We  are  not  sur- 
prised, therefore,  that  a  good  many  converts  were  made 
here.  By  and  by,  however,  news  of  this  reached  Thessa- 
lonica, and  some  of  the  bigoted  Jews  there  hurried  down 
to  Beroea,  and  did  what  they  had  done  so  successfully  at 
home — stirred  up  the  idle  rabble  to  make  a  disturbance 
and  attack  the  Apostles.  In  this  they  succeeded  so  well 
that  Paul  was  again  compelled  to  flee,  although  Silas 
and  Timothy  were  able  to  remain  and  set  in  order  the 
affairs  of  another  newly-formed  Christian  church. 

At  Sea  again  (chap.  xvii.  14). — It  would  appear 
that  Paul,  by  reason  of  his  infirmities,  could  not  well 
travel  alone.  Perhaps  it  was,  as  some  think,  owing  to 
his  defective  eyesight,  or,  as  others  suggest,  owing  to 
his  being  liable  to  fits  of  epilepsy.  In  any  case  it  is 
noticeable  that  his  movements  were  almost  always 
directed  by  others.  In  this  instance,  as  Silas  and 
Timothy  remained  behind,  some  Christian  friends  from 
Beroea  accompanied  him.  They  brought  him  down  to 
he  sea-coast,  and  soon  we  find  the  little  party  on  board 
ji  vessel  sailing  southwards  down  the  Gulf  of  Thessa- 
lonica and  over  the  ^Egean  Sea,  past  the  islands  of  Negro- 
pont  and  the  Cyclades,  till,  rounding  Cape  Sunium,  they 
sailed  up  the  Gulf  of  ^gina  and  entered  the  great  har- 
bour of  Piraeus,  the  seaport  of  Athens.     Paul  was  to 


PERSECUTED  FROM  CITY  TO  CITY      113 

remain  at  Athens  till  Silas  and  Timothy  should  come, 
and  once  he  was  settled  there  the  Beroean  friends  left 
him  and  returned  home,  bearing  with  them  an  urgent 
message  to  Silas  and  Timothy  to  come  on  with  all  speed. 
Paul  at  Athens  (chap.  xvii.  i6). — It  was  no 
ordinary  city  in  which  Paul  now  found  himself.  Though 
not  what  it  had  once  been,  Athens  was  still  the  centre 
of  Greek  culture — the  home  of  art,  poetry,  and  philo- 
sophy. For  these  things,  however,  Paul  cared  little 
then.  What  impressed  him  was  that  the  city  was 
manifestly  a  stronghold  of  idolatry.  Temples  crowned 
every  height ;  idols  and  shrines  were  seen  on  every 
hand  ;  statues  of  gods  and  goddesses — masterpieces  of 
Greek  art — were  in  every  street.  Indeed,  so  numerous 
were  these  that  it  had  become  quite  a  proverb  that  in 
Athens  it  was  easier  to  find  a  god  than  a  man  !  Left 
alone  1  amidst  such  abounding  evidences  of  idolatry, 
Paul  was  far  from  happy.  A  sense  of  depression  and 
loneliness  came  over  him.  Week  after  week  passed, 
and  yet  Silas  and  Timotheus  did  not  come.  He  had 
intended  to  rest  till  they  came,  but,  surrounded  by  such 
idolatry,  rest  was  for  him  impossible.  His  spirit  was 
stirred  within  him,  and  he  could  not  x-estrain  himself. 
One  day  in  particular,  as  he  walked  along  reading  the 
inscriptions,  he  noticed  an  altar  inscribed  *'  To  the 
unknown  God."^  These  words  impressed  him,  and 
he  remembered  them.  On  the  Sabbath  he  went  to  the 
synagogue  and  spoke  of  Jesus  to  the  Jews  and  devout 
proselytes.  On  other  days  he  walked  in  the  agora,  or 
market-place, — a  beautiful  open  space  with  fountains, 
and  surrounded  by  pillared  colonnades,  in  which  men 
gathered  to  gossip  and  discuss  various  questions.  Here 
he  came  in  contact  with  some  of  the  Greek  philosophers 
— particularly  with  two  sets  named  the  Epicureans  and 
the  Stoics.^     Joining  in  their  discussions,  he  spoke  to 

1  See  I  Thess.  iii.  i. 

2  Or  "  To  an  unknown  God,"  as  In  R.V. 

3  The  Epicureans  and  the  Stoics.— These  were  at  that  time 
the  two  most  prominent  systems  of  the  world.  The  E/>icu7-eans — 
so  called  from  their  fovmder  Epicurus,  who  taught  at  Athens — con* 

8 


114  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

them  with  great  earnestness  about  Jesus  and  the  Resur- 
rection, but  all  the  impression  he  made  was  that  some 
of  them  said,  **What  is  the  babbler ^  trying  to  say?" 
while  others  replied,  "  He  seems  to  be  setting  forth 
some  strange  gods."  One  day,  however,  some  of  them 
led  him  away  from  the  noisy  market-place  up  a  flight  of 
steps  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock  to  a  level  place  on 
the  summit  of  a  hill  close  by,  called  Areopagus,  or 
Mars'  Hill — the  place  where  the  Supreme  Council  or 
Senate  of  Athens  met,  and  which,  taking  its  name  from 
the  hill,  was  also  called  The  Areopagus.  It  was  a  grave 
and  venerable  court.  At  its  meeting  the  members  sat 
in  the  open  air  with  their  heads  uncovered,  each  wearing 
a  white  robe  with  a  border  of  purple,  or  blue,  or  red. 
We  are  not  told  whether  the  Council  was  actually  sitting 
at  this  time  or  not.  Certainly  no  formal  charge  was 
made  against  Paul,  but  as  he  was  supposed  to  be  intro- 
ducing strange  gods,  and  the  Areopagus  was  the  court 
in  which  such  a  charge,  if  made,  would  be  tried,  it  is 
possible  that  the  philosophers  and  people  may  have  taken 
him  there  as  a  convenient  spot  where  he  might  give  some 
explanation  of  his  teaching.  When  they  had  reached  the 
summit  they  said  politely  to  him,  •*  May  we  know,  then, 
what  this  new  doctrine  of  yours  is  ?  We  hear  that  you 
teach  strange  things  :  we  should  like  to  know  what 
these  things  mean."  There  was  nothing  these  Athenians 
loved  so  much  as  to  hear  or  to  tell  something  new  !     In 

sidered  that  the  great  aim  of  life  was  pleasure,  and  they  believed 
that  the  soul  ]}enshes  with  the  body.  *'  Let  us  eat  and  drink,  for 
to-morrow  we  die."  The  Stoics  were  founded  by  Zeno.  They 
taught  that  the  highest  duty  of  the  philosopher  was  to  practise 
virtue,  and  be  indifferent  to  all  other  things,  such  as  pleasure,  pain, 
health,  wealth,  etc.  They  taught  that  only  material  things  were 
real,  and  were  thus  materialists.  They  also  taught  that  the  care 
of  Providence  was  for  the  universe  as  a  whole,  and  only  indirectly 
concerned  itself  with  individuals.  Thus  they  were  also  fatalists. 
So  imimportant  was  the  individual  that  suicide  was  held  to  be  law- 
ful, and  sometimes  praiseworthy.  The  Stoic  trained  himself  to  bear 
pam,  evil,  or  misfortune  with  perfect  indifference. 

1  Babbler. — This  Greek  word  is  not  used  elsewhere  in  the  New 
Testament.  It  means  originally  "a  picker-up  of  seed,"  "a  rook," 
or  "crow";  hence  "a  man  who  hangs  about  the  market-place  to 
pick  up  anything  he  can." 


PERSECUTED  FROM  CITY  TO  CITY     115 

answer  to  that  request,  Paul  delivered  one  of  his  most 
celebrated  addresses.  From  where  he  stood,  some  of 
the  most  splendid  temples  in  all  Greece  were  in  sight. 
High  above  him  was  the  great  statue  of  Athena,  the 
guardian  goddess  of  Athens,  and  down  below  in  the 
city  every  street  had  its  statues  and  its  altars. 
Turning  from  all  these,  however,  Paul  stepped  forward, 
and  earnestly  looking  straight  into  the  faces  of  those 
who  were  so  eager  and  curious  to  hear  him,  he  began 
his  address  with  these  words:  "Ye  men  of  Athens, 
I  notice  that  in  every  respect  you  are  very  religious ;  ^ 
for  as  I  passed  along  your  streets,  looking  at  the  objects 
of  your  worship,  I  noticed  one  altar  bearing  this  inscrip- 
tion :  '  To  the  unknown  God ! '  It  is  of  the  God 
whom  you  do  not  know,  and  whom  you  worship  in 
ignorance,  that  I  come  to  speak."  They  were  pleased 
that  the  stranger  had  noticed  how  religious  they  were. 
Then  he  told  them  of  the  Almighty  God  who  made 
all  things,  and  whose  children  all  men  are ;  and  again 
he  pleased  them  by  quoting  from  one  of  their  own 
poets  some  words  expressing  the  same  idea:  "For  we 
are  his  offspring."  ^  if^  then,  he  argued,  God  is  our 
Father,  we  ought  not  to  think  of  Him  as  being  like 
anything  made  of  gold,  or  silver,  or  stone,  such  as  those 
beautiful  idols.  Men  who  have  thought  that  have  been 
mistaken.  But  now  there  is  no  need  that  men  should 
any  longer  be  ignorant  of  Him,  for  He  has  revealed 
Himself  in  His  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  and  He  is  calling  men 
everywhere  to  repent  of  their  sins,  for  He  has  appointed 
a  day  in  which  He  will  judge  the  world  by  this  Son 
of  Man  whom  He  raised  from  the  dead. 

The  philosophers  and  the  crowd  had  listened  atten- 

1  Too  superstitious  =  "  somewhat  superstitious  "  (R.  V.),  or  per- 
haps better,  "very  religious,"  or  "very  God-fearing."  Paul  would 
not  begin  by  giving  offence,  and  would  be  more  likely  to  use  this 
word  in  a  complimentary  sense. 

2  His  offspring.  —  The  words  are  a  quotation  from  an  astro- 
nomical poem  called  The  Phenomena,  by  Aratus,  a  Cilician.  They 
are  also  used  by  Cleanthes,  a  Stoic  philosopher,  in  a  hymn  to 
Jupiter.     Paul  may  have  quoted  from  Aratus,  his  countryman. 


ii6  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

tively  up  to  this  point,  but  when  he  spoke  of  some  one 
having  risen  from  the  dead,  some  of  them  laughed  and 
began  to  mock  him.  That  was  enough  for  them ! 
Others  said  it  was  enough  for  that  day ;  they  would 
hear  more  about  it  some  other  time.  So  Paul  was 
dismissed.  Disappointed — perhaps  vexed — he  left  them 
and  made  his  way  down  those  sixteen  steps  which  led  to 
the  market-place  again.  He  did  not  remain  long  in 
Athens  after  that.  We  do  not  read  that  any  Christian 
church  was  formed  there.  Yet  his  address  had  not 
been  altogether  in  vain.  There  were  a  few  people  who 
believed,  among  them  being  a  man  named  Dionysius,  a 
member  of  the  Council  of  the  Areopagus, ^  and  a  woman 
named  Damaris,  probably  a  Jewess.  After  all,  however, 
we  cannot  help  feeling  that  the  result  of  Paul's  effort 
was  disappointing,  and  we  notice  that  he  never  once 
notices  Athens  in  any  of  his  epistles. 


CHAPTER   XVm 

SECOND   MISSIONARY  JOURNEY   ENDED   AND   THE 
THIRD    BEGUN 

Paul  at  Corinth  (chap,  xviii.  i-n). — At  length,  though 
Silas  and  Timothy  had  not  come,  Paul  could  wait  no 
longer.  Though  little  able  to  travel  alone,  he  crossed  the 
Gulf  of  Athens  to  Corinth,  the  capital  of  Southern  Greece, 
forty  miles  distant.  Here  he  found  himself  in  an  entirely 
different  atmosphere.  Athens  was  a  seat  of  learning 
and  leisure ;  Corinth  was  a  busy  commercial  centre. 
Situated  on  the  isthmus  separating  two  seas,  with  a 
harbour  on  the  shores  of  each,  it  was  exceptionally  fitted 
to  attain  comiRercial  importance,  and  its  population  were 

1  Dionysius  — He  must  have  been  a  man  of  position  and  influ- 
ence, for  no  one  could  be  a  member  of  this  council  unless  he  had 
filled  some  high  office  of  state  and  was  above  sixty  years  of  age 


SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY  ENDED    117 

a  busy,  wealthy,  and  luxurious  people  ;  a  strange  mixture 
— Greeks  and  Romans,  merchants  and  traders,  slaves 
and  freedmen.  It  was  a  wicked,  licentious  place,  and 
into  the  midst  of  its  busy,  profligate  people  Paul  now 
came  alone.  There  were  many  Jews  in  Corinth,  and 
he  would  be  received  by  his  fellow-countrymen.  Among 
these  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  a  Christian  Jew 
named  Aquila,  who,  with  his  wife  Priscilla,  had  been 
compelled  to  leave  Italy  and  come  here,  in  consequence 
of  the  decree  of  Claudius  expelling  all  Jews  from  Rome. 
Paul  and  they  soon  became  great  friends.  Like  himself, 
they  were  tent -makers,  so  he  lodged  with  them  and 
worked  at  his  trade  to  maintain  himself.  Night  and 
day  he  toiled ;  yet  after  all  he  was  sometimes  so  hard 
pressed  as  to  be  in  want.^  He  would  never 
take  anything  from  the  Christians  of  Corinth,  lest  any 
one  should  say  that  he  was  seeking  his  own  gain. 
When  the  Sabbath  came  round  he  went  as  usual  to  the 
synagogue  and  spoke  of  Jesus  Christ.  So  the  days 
passed,  till  at  length  Silas  and  Timothy  came.  It  was 
a  comfort  to  him  to  see  them,  and  still  more  to  hear 
the  favourable  report  they  brought  of  the  churches  in 
Macedonia.  They  also  brought  him  a  generous  gift 
from  the  Christians  in  Philippi — a  contribution  that  was 
a  valued  help  in  his  pressing  need.  Cheered  and  re- 
freshed, he  turned  with  fresh  vigour  to  his  work  among 
the  Jews  in  the  synagogue,  but  the  more  he  urged  them 
the  more  determinedly  they  opposed  him.  At  last  one 
day,  as  they  resisted  and  blasphemed,  he  shook  the  dust 
ofif  his  garments  ^  at  them,  and  said  that  henceforth  he 
would  leave  them  and  go  to  the  Gentiles.  From  that 
time  he  preached  no  more  in  the  synagogue,  but  held 
his  meetings  in  the  house  of  one  of  the  Christian  con- 
verts, a  man  named  Justus,  who  lived  close  by,  and 
there,  amidst  changing  experiences,  he  continued  till  he 
had  been  in  Corinth  for  a  year  and  a  half.  Many  of  the 
people  believed,  and  joined  the  Christians,  among  them 

1  2  Cor.  xi.  9 ;  I  Cor.  iv.  n,  12. 
8  Shook,  etc. — See  chap.  xiii.  51. 


ii8  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

being  Crispus,  the  chief  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  Eirastus, 
the  city  chamberlain,  and  also  Gaius  and  Stephanas. 

A  Roman  Magistrate  (chap,  xviii.    12-17). — 

While  Paul  was  in  Corinth  an  untoward  incident  oc- 
curred. A  new  Roman  Governor — Gallio  by  name — 
had  come  as  Proconsul  of  Achaia.  He  was  an  amiable, 
good-natured  man,  and  the  Jews,  who  hated  Paul,  thought 
they  might  take  advantage  of  Gallio's  good-nature  and 
inexperience,  and  get  him  to  condemn  this  troublesome 
preacher.  They  therefore  dragged  the  Apostle  before 
his  judgment-seat,  accusing  him  of  persuading  men  to 
worship  God  contrary  to  the  law.  They  had,  however, 
miscalculated.  Gallio  saw  at  once  that  this  was  not  a 
question  of  crime,  or  of  any  offence  against  the  Roman 
law,  but  merely  a  dispute  among  the  Jews  about  their 
own  religion.  He  would  therefore  have  nothing  to  do 
with  it,  and  drove  the  whole  set  of  accusers  from  the  judg- 
ment-seat. Thus  the  Roman  Government  protected  Paul 
in  preaching  the  Gospel.  As  Gallio's  lictors  cleared  the 
court,  the  crowd  outside,  realising  the  situation,  laid  hold 
of  Sosthenes,  the  ruler  of  the  s)magogue, — probably  the 
spokesman  for  the  accusers, — and  beat  him  before  they 
had  got  beyond  the  precincts  of  the  court.  From  where 
he  sat,  Gallio  could  see  them,  but  he  paid  no  heed. 
He  merely  went  on  with  the  next  business  of  the  court. 

Cenchreae  and  Ephesus  (chap,  xviii.  18-21).— 

After  this  Paul  remained  unmolested  at  Corinth  probably 
for  some  months.  He  then  resolved  to  revisit  Jerusalem, 
from  which  he  had  now  been  absent  for  nearly  three 
years,  and  he  planned  to  be  there  in  time  for  the  feast  of 
Pentecost,  which  was  approaching.  Accordingly,  he  left 
Corinth,  accompanied  by  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  and 
travelled  down  to  Cenchrese,  the  eastern  harbour  of 
Corinth.  What  Silas  and  Timothy  did  we  are  not  told. 
At  Cenchrese  there  was  a  small  Christian  church,  which 
Paul  or  some  of  his  companions  had  planted,  and  in  which 
Phoebe,  the  deaconess,  of  whose  devoted  labours  Paul 
speaks  so  gratefully,  was  a  worker.^  Here  he  performed 
^  See  Rom.  xvL  x,  ■. 


SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY  ENDED    119 

the  ceremony  of  shaving  his  head,  in  connection  with  a 
vow  which  he  had  taken,  thus  showing  his  personal 
obedience  to  Jewish  law  and  custom.  Finding  a  ship  pre- 
paring to  sail  for  Syria,  they  embarked  in  her.  Calling  at 
Ephesus  the  ship  remained  there  a  few  days,  and  Paul  had 
an  opportunity  of  visiting  the  Jewish  synagogue,  where 
he  met  with  a  more  favourable  reception  than  usual,  the 
Jews  even  pressing  him  to  remain  longer.  This  he  was 
unable  to  do,  as  he  was  anxious  to  reach  Jerusalem  in 
time  for  the  feast,  but  he  promised  that  he  would  come 
again. 

Back  to  Jerusalem  and  Antioch  (chap,  xviii. 

22,  23). — Aquila  and  Priscilla  remained  in  Ephesus, 
while  Paul  proceeded  with  the  ship,  and  in  due  time 
was  landed  at  Caesar ea,  whence  he  went  up  to  Jerusalem.^ 
This  was  his  fourth  visit  to  Jerusalem  since  his  conver- 
sion, and  it  seems  to  have  been  but  a  short  one.  There 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  any  very  cordial  welcome 
offered  him.  All  that  Luke  says  of  it  is  that  '*  he  saluted 
the  Church."  Then  he  proceeded  to  Antioch — the  place 
from  which  he  had  set  out  on  his  missionary  journey,  and 
where,  no  doubt,  a  cordial  reception  would  be  given  him. 

End  of  the  Second  Missionary  Journey. — Thus 

ended  Paul's  second  missionary  journey.  In  the  course 
of  it  he  had  travelled  many  a  weary  mile,  and  endured 
many  a  shameful  wrong  and  outrage,  trying  faithfully  to 
fulfil  that  word  of  Jesus  which  charged  His  Apostles  to 
be  witnesses  for  Him  **  to  the  uttermost  ends  of  the 
earth."  He  had  visited  the  churches  formerly  planted 
in  Cilicia  and  Pisidia ;  he  had  preached  the  Gospel  in 
Phrygia  and  Galatia  ;  he  had  crossed  the  sea  to  Europe, 
and  planted  Christianity  in  at  least  four  cities,  Philippi, 
Thessalonica,  Bercea,  and  Corinth,  if  not  also  perhaps 
in  Athens.  He  had  been  away  for  fiilly  three  years, 
one  half  of  which  time  was  spent  in  Corinth. 

Paul's  Third  Missionary  Journey  (chap,  xviii. 

23). — After  but  a  short  period  of  rest  at  Antioch  we 

1  The  journey  from  Caesarea  to  Jerusalem  is  related  by  Luke  in 
a  angle  word  :  "  When  he  had  landed  at  Caesarea,  zxAgont  up," 


I20  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

find  the  enthusiastic  Apostle  starting  again  for  another 
missionary  tour.  This  time  he  took  with  him  Timothy 
and  Titus,  and  probably  also  Gaius,  Aristarchus,  and 
Erastus.  Following  the  same  route  as  last  time,  he 
went  to  Seleucia,  and  thence  sailed  across  to  Tarsus,  his 
native  city,  after  leaving  which  he  proceeded  up  by  the 
mountain  pass  of  the  Cilician  Gates,  and  so  through 
Galatia  and  Phrygia,  where  he  visited  the  churches 
formerly  founded,  and  then  went  down  to  Ephesus  to 
pay  the  visit  he  had  promised.  Here,  most  likely,  he 
stayed  with  his  old  friends  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  the  tent- 
makers.  Since  his  last  visit  the  truth  had  been  spread- 
ing in  that  region.  Some  things  he  noticed  were  most 
encouraging,  but  some,  alas  !  were  disappointing. 

An  Imperfectly- instructed  Preacher   (chap. 

xviii.  23-28). — One  or  two  incidents  of  his  visit 
Luke  has  preserved  for  us.  For  instance,  among  those 
who  had  come  to  live  at  Ephesus  was  a  Jew  named 
Apollos,  from  Alexandria  in  Egypt, — a  man  with  a  pro- 
found knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  and  a  wonderful  gift 
of  eloquence.  He  knew  something  of  Jesus  as  the 
Messiah,  but  only  to  the  extent  of  what  John  the  Baptist 
had  preached.  Even  with  this  imperfect  knowledge, 
however,  he  spoke  in  the  synagogue  in  a  way 
that  attracted  the  attention  and  interest  of  Aquila 
and  Priscilla.  They  could  see  that,  although  very 
earnest,  he  was  imperfectly  instructed  in  the  truth  he 
was  trying  to  preach.  Instead,  however,  of  criticising 
and  finding  fault  with  him,  these  good  Christians  invited 
him  to  their  home,  and  taught  him  the  full  Gospel  as 
they  had  heard  Paul  preaching  it.  Shortly  afterwards 
Apollos  proposed  to  go  over  to  Corinth,  and  they  gave 
him  letters  of  commendation  to  the  Christians  there. 
In  Corinth  his  preaching  produced  a  deep  impression, 
and  when  arguing  with  the  Jews  in  the  synagogue  he 
seemed  almost  irresistible,  so  that  he  became  a  great 
strength  to  the  Church. 


PAUL  AT  EPHESUS  121 


CHAPTER  XIX 

PAUL   AT   EPHESUS 

Times  of  Blessing  in  Ephesus  (chap.  xix.  1-12). 

— Apollos  had  just  left  for  Corinth  when  Paul  returned 
to  Ephesus.  On  his  arrival  he  found  several  others 
who,  like  Apollos,  knew  Christianity  only  as  the 
Baptist  had  preached  it.  These  he  took  and  instructed 
fully,  afterwards  admitting  them  into  the  Church  by 
baptism.  During  the  first  three  months  of  his  stay  in 
Ephesus  he  went  regularly  to  the  synagogue  and  tried  to 
persuade  the  Jews  to  believe  in  Jesus  ;  but  so  bitter  was 
their  opposition,  that  at  last,  as  at  Corinth,  he  withdrew 
from  the  synagogue  altogether.  He  hired  the  lecture- 
room  of  a  Greek  teacher  ^  named  Tyrannus,  and  held 
his  meetings  in  it.  This  he  continued  for  two  years, 
and  so  great  was  the  change  that  perhaps  there  was  no 
city  where  his  labours  were  so  greatly  blessed  as  they 
were  here.  God  wrought  wonderful  signs  and  miracles 
by  him,  and  **a  great  door  and  effectual  was  opened  to 
him."  2 

Spiritual  Pretenders  (chap.  xix.  13-20). — Another 

incident  made  a  great  impression  in  Ephesus.  Some 
strolling  Jews,  who  pretended  to  have  the  power  of  cast- 
ing out  evil  spirits,  began  to  try  whether  they  could  not 
do  this  by  calling  out  the  names  of  Paul  and  Jesus  over 
persons  who  were  possessed.  Among  those  who  tried 
this  were  seven  brothers,  the  sons  of  a  Jew  named  Sceva, 
a  prominent  priest.  These  men  attempted  it  in  the  case 
of  a  wild  lunatic,  but  the  man  answered  them,  "Jesus  I 
know,  and  Paul  I  know,  but  who  are  ye  ? "  Then 
turning  upon  them  with  the  superhuman  strength  of 
madness,  he  tore  their  clothes  off  their  backs,  and  inflicted 

1  Some,  however,  think  that  Tyrannixs  may  have  been  a  Jew. 
It  is  uncertain. 

2  I  Cor.  xvi.  9. 


123  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

on  them  such  injuries  that  they  were  glad  to  escape 
stripped  and  wounded.  The  report  of  this  spread,  and 
produced  such  a  wonderful  effect  that  many  of  the 
Christian  converts  who  formerly  dealt  in  such  arts  con- 
fessed their  evil  practices,  and  having  brought  their  magic 
books  together,  made  a  great  bonfire  and  publicly  burned 
them,  the  value  of  the  books  so  destroyed  being  estimated 
at  over  ;^2000.^  Such  are  only  some  of  the  incidents  of  a 
movement  by  which  Christianity  was  spread  throughout 
that  whole  district. 

A  Violent  Outbreak  (chap.  xix.  21-41). — After  a 

stay  of  nearly  three  years  in  Ephesus,  Paul  prepared  to 
depart.  He  proposed  going  back  to  Jerusalem,  that 
he  might  take  with  him  a  sum  of  money  which  the 
Gentile  Christians  had  contributed  for  the  relief  of  their 
distressed'  Jewish  brethren.  His  intention  was  to  sail 
over  to  Corinth  and  visit  the  churches  of  Macedonia 
and  Achaia,  and  thereafter  to  go  by  sea  direct  from 
Corinth  to  Jerusalem,  after  which  he  hoped  to  be  able 
to  go  and  see  Rome,  the  capital  of  the  world.  ^  He  sent 
on  Timothy  and  Erastus  in  advance  of  him,  for  he  had 
heard  a  sad  account  of  the  state  of  things  in  the  church  at 
Corinth.  3  Before  however  he  was  himself  ready  to  leave, 
a  violent  outbreak  occurred,  which  made  him  change  his 
plans.  In  Ephesus  there  was  a  magnificent  temple  of 
Diana,  which  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  seven  wonders 
of  the  world.  It  had  1 20  pillars  of  Parian  marble  j  its 
doors  were  of  carved  cypress-wood ;  paintings  and  sculp- 
ture by  the  greatest  Greek  artists  adorned  it  within  ;  but 
the  most  precious  and  valued  of  all  its  treasures  was  an 
image  of  the  goddess  which  it  contained.  A  very  ugly- 
looking  thing  it  was,  but  it  was  said  to  have  "fallen 
down  from  heaven,"  and  so  was  peculiarly  sacred.     Vast 

1  50,000  pieces  of  silver.  —  As  the  incident  occurred^  among  a 
Greek  population,  it  is  almost  certain  that  it  is  in  Greek  coinage  that 
the  reckoning  is  made,  and  that  a  "  piece  of  silver  "  means  an  Attic 
drachma,  the  value  of  which  was  gfd.,  so  that  50,000  would  amount 
to  £2oy3. 

a  Comp.  Rom.  L  15 ;  xv.  23-28. 

S  See  X  Cor.  v.  9 ;  2  Tim.  iv.  20. 


PAUL  AT  EPHESUS  123 

numbers  of  people  came  to  Ephesus  to  worship  in  this 
temple,  so  that  it  was  a  source  of  great  revenue  to  the 
city.  Especially  was  it  profitable  to  the  workmen  who 
made  shrines — little  models  of  the  temple  and  the  idol, 
which  were  sold  to  the  pilgrims  to  carry  away  as 
mementoes  of  their  visit.  Now  the  preaching  of  Paul 
had  produced  such  an  effect  that  many  were  turning 
from  idolatry  altogether.  The  tradesmen  about  the 
temple  began  to  notice  that  their  trade  was  falling  off. 
One  of  their  number,  a  silversmith  named  Demetrius, 
summoned  a  meeting  of  the  various  craftsmen  who  earned 
a  living  in  this  way,  and  made  an  incendiary  speech 
to  them,  telling  them  that  not  only  was  their  trade  being 
ruined,  but  the  great  goddess  Diana  and  her  magnificent 
temple  were  likely  to  become  despised,  and  for  this 
Paul  was  to  blame.  At  once  the  excited  craftsmen 
made  a  rush  for  the  house  of  Aquila  and  PriscUla  to 
seize  the  Apostle ;  but  even  at  the  risk  of  their  own 
lives  the  good  tent-maker  and  his  wife  protected  him. 
The  crowd,  however,  caught  two  of  his  companions — 
Gaius  and  Aristarchus — and  dragged  them  through  the 
streets  to  the  great  theatre  of  the  city — a  vast  building, 
whose  ruins  still  stand,  and  which  was  capable  of  holding 
30,000  people.  By  this  time  the  crowd  had  swelled 
to  enormous  proportions,  and  a  scene  of  indescribable 
confusion  took  place.  Some  shouted  one  thing  and  some 
another,  the  greater  part,  however,  not  knowing  what  it 
was  all  about.  Paul  would  have  gone  to  the  theatre  and 
faced  them  all,  but  his  friends  prevented  him.  The  Jews 
put  forward  one  of  their  number,  a  Jew  named  Alexander, 
to  make  some  explanation  in  their  favour,^  but  when- 
ever he  appeared,  and  the  crowd  saw  by  his  face  that  he 
was  a  Jew,  they  would  not  listen  to  him.  In  vain  he 
attempted  by  signs  and  gestures  to  gain  a  hearing. 
They  only  shouted  the  more  vehemently,  "  Great  is  Diana 
of  the  Ephesians  !     Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians  ! " 

1  The  Jews  putting  him  forward.— The  Jews  were  anxious 
to  make  it  clear  to  the  multitude  that  they  had  no  connection  with 
the  Christians. 


124  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES  '' 

The  more  he  tried  to  speak,  the  more  the  noise  and 
tumult  increased.  For  two  weary  hours  this  uproar 
went  on.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  when  the  storm  had 
spent  itself  and  it  had  become  possible  to  get  a  hearing, 
the  town-clerk  and  keeper  of  the  city  records — a  person 
of  great  importance  in  the  Greek  free  cities — stepped 
forward  to  speak,  and  the  people,  knowing  him,  listened. 
**  Is  there  any  man  here,"  he  asked,  "who  does  not 
know  that  the  city  of  Ephesus  is  the  temple-keeper  of 
the  great  goddess  Diana,  ^  whose  image  fell  down  from 
heaven  ?  Those  facts  cannot  be  gainsaid. ^  You  ought, 
therefore,  to  be  calm,  and  to  do  nothing  rashly.  These 
men — Gaius  and  Aristarchus — are  not  criminals.  If 
Demetrius  wishes  to  make  charges  against  any  one,  the 
law  courts  are  open  to  him,  and  the  Roman  magistrates 
are  ready  to  judge.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  you  wish 
investigation  into  other  matters,  let  that  be  done 
properly  in  a  regular  assembly  of  the  people.  This  is 
an  uproar  likely  to  do  us  harm.  We  may  be  called  in 
question  for  it,  and  it  may  even  cost  us  some  of  our 
privileges."  Thus,  with  words  of  warning  spoken  by 
the  voice  of  authority,  he  stilled  the  tumult  and  dis- 
missed the  assembly. 


CHAPTER  XX 

MACEDONIA,    TROAS,    MILETUS 

A  Visit  to  Macedonia  (chap.  xx.  i-6). — So  the 

crowd  dispersed  and  the  riot  ended.  Doubtless  the 
affair  would  cause  much  talk,  but  Demetrius  had  not 
succeeded  in  his  attempt  to  stop  the  preaching  of  Chris- 
tianity, for  no  one  took  the  town-clerk's  advice  to  bring 

1  WorsMpper,  or  "temple-keeper"  (R.V.),  i.e.  guardian  of  the 
temple.  It  was  an  honorary  title  granted  by  the  Emperor  to  various 
cities  in  Asia,  and  appears  on  coins. 

2  Spoken  against,  or  "gainsaid  "  (R.V.). 


MACEDONIA,    TROAS,  MILETUS  125 

the  matter  for  trial  in  the  law  courts.  It  was  now, 
however,  impossible  for  Paul  to  remain  in  Ephesus  till 
Pentecost,  as  he  had  intended,  so,  summoning  a  meeting 
of  the  Christians,  he  bade  them  farewell,  and  started  to 
go  into  Macedonia.  1  At  this  point  a  gap  occurs  in  the 
Book  of  Acts,  the  labours  of  nine  months  —  perhaps 
among  the  most  active  in  Paul's  life — being  summed  up  in 
a  single  sentence.  From  his  epistles,  however,  we  learn 
some  particulars  of  the  journey.  Being  very  anxious 
over  the  state  of  matters  in  the  Church  at  Corinth, 
he  had  intended  to  go  there  direct,^  but  afterwards, 
changing  his  plan,  he  went  instead  to  Troas,^  where  he 
expected  he  would  meet  Titus  with  news  from  Corinth. 
Here  he  laboured  and  founded  a  Christian  church,  but 
all  the  time  he  was  oppressed  by  anxiety  about  Corinth. 
Titus  did  not  come,  and  the  suspense  told  upon  Paul's 
health  so  seriously  that  he  became  ill  and  even  despaired 
of  his  life.*  At  length,  unable  longer  to  endure  it,  he 
took  ship  and  crossed  over  into  Macedonia,  probably 
to  the  town  of  Philippi,  the  place  where,  six  years  before, 
he  had  been  publicly  beaten  in  the  market-place.  He 
had  many  friends  here,  among  them  being  Luke,  the 
beloved  physician,  and  here  he  was  at  length  joined  by 
Titus,  who  brought  from  Corinth  a  report  in  some  respects 
comforting,  but  in  others  distressing.  On  receiving  it 
Paul  wrote  his  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  send- 
ing it  by  Titus,  who  was  returning  thither,  accompanied 
perhaps  by  Luke  ;  but  the  Apostle  judged  it  wiser  to  wait 
yet  a  little  before  he  himself  should  go  there.  ^  The 
next  six  months  he  spent  in  revisiting  the  churches 
of  Macedonia,  including,  besides  that  of  Philippi,  the 
churches  of  Thessalonica,  Beroea,  and  perhaps  also 
Illyricum,^  and  thereafter  he  went  to  Corinth,  where 
he  remained  for  three  months.  He  then  proposed 
to  sail  for  Syria,   carrying  with  him  the  contributions 

1  In  fulfilment  of  his  purpose  mentioned  in  chap.  xix.  21. 

2  I  Cor.  iv.  18,  19-    .         ,  ^2  Cor.  ii.  12,  13. 
4  See  2  Cor,  ii.  12 ;  i.  8 ;  iv.  10,  11 ;  xii.  7. 

B  See  2  Cor.  ix,  5.  8  See  Rom.  xv.  19. 


X26  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

made  by  the  Macedonian  churches  for  the  poor  saints  at 
Jerusalem.  At  his  own  suggestion  each  church  ap- 
pointed a  delegate  to  accompany  him,i  and  these  joined 
him  at  Corinth.  Just  as  they  were  about  to  sail,  how- 
ever, it  was  discovered  that  the  Jews  had  formed  a 
conspiracy  to  kill  Paul  as  soon  as  he  had  gone  on  board. 
While,  therefore,  his  friends  embarked  at  Corinth,  he,, 
in  order  to  elude  the  conspirators,  travelled  overland  to 
Philippi.  This  had  the  further  advantage  of  affording 
him  an  opportunity  of  joining  his  fellow-countrymen  there 
in  keeping  the  Passover.  Immediately  thereafter  he  and 
Luke  went  by  sea  to  Troas,  where  they  found  their 
companions  who  had  sailed  from  Corinth  waiting  for 
them,  and  together  they  spent  a  week  there. 

A  Lord's  Day  in  Troas  (chap.  xx.  7,  8).— It  had 
by  this  time  become  customary  for  the  Christians  to 
observe  the  first  day  of  the  week  in  commemoration  of 
our  Lord's  resurrection,  and  to  have  on  that  day* 
special  gatherings  for  religious  purposes.  Paul  spent  a 
**  Lord's  Day "  with  the  Christians  in  Troas,  and  thus 
we  get  a  glimpse  of  their  manner  of  observing  it.  The 
Jewish  Sabbath  ended  at  six  o'clock,  and  later  in  the 
evening  we  see  the  Christians  assembling  in  an  upper 
room — a  bright-looking  place  lighted  by  a  large  number 
of  lamps,  and  crowded,  for  the  news  of  Paul's  arrival 
had  spread.  The  windows  with  their  wooden  lattices 
were  open ;  yet,  owing  to  the  crowd  and  the  many 
lam.ps,  the  place  soon  became  close  and  warm.  The 
service  was  a  long  one,  consisting  of  praise  and  prayer, 
the  preaching  of  the  Word,  the  dispensation  of  the 
Lord's  Supper,^  and  the  Agape  or  love -feast.*  Paul, 
who  was   to  leave   the  following  morning,   discoursed 

"^  These  dele^tes  were  Sopater  from  Beroea,  Aristarchus  and 
Secundus  from  Thessalonica,  Gaius  from  Derbe,  Timotheus  from 
Lystra,  Tychicus  and  Trophimus  from  Ephesus. 

3  See  I  Cor.  rvi.  3 ;  Rev.  L  10. 

*  Had  t)roken  bread,  ver.  zz,  ue.  the  bread  of  the  Communion 
Service. 

4  And  eaten,  ver.  zz,  i-e.  partaken  of  the  Agape^  a  meal  which 
in  the  early  Churdi  the  Christians  partook  of  together  after  the 
Commtmion* 


MACEDONIA,    TROAS,  MILETUS  127 

earnestly  to  them  on  many  points,  the  people  listening, 
and  asking  questions  from  time  to  time ;  and  so  deeply 
interested  were  they  that  all  unheeded  the  time  passed 
till  it  was  midnight. 

An  Accident  (chap.  xx.  9-12). — Suddenly  a  cry 
was  heard,  and  the  meeting  was  thrown  into  confusion. 
A  boy  had  fallen  from  one  of  the  windows  I  A  lad 
named  Eutychus  had  climbed  up,  and  was  sitting 
on  the  broad  sill,  where  he  would  get  the  cool  breeze ; 
and  owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  the  heat, 
and  Paul's  long -continued  speaking,  he  was  gradu- 
ally overcome  with  sleep,  till  at  length,  overbalancing 
himself,  he  fell  through  the  open  window  into  the  court 
below.  The  people  rushed  down  into  the  courtyard, 
where,  to  their  dismay,  they  saw  the  lad  taken  up 
dead.  Paul,  however,  immediately  threw  himself  upon 
the  body,  and,  embracing  it,  restored  the  youth  to 
life.^  Then,  calming  the  excitement  of  the  people, 
he  led  them  back  to  the  upper  room,  where  in  the 
early  morning  the  service  was  completed  by  the 
observance  of  the  Communion  and  the  Agape^  after 
which  he  continued  with  them  in  friendly  intercourse 
until  daybreak. 

A  Journey  on  Foot  (chap.  xx.  13-15). — Next  day 

they  resumed  their  journey,  Luke  and  the  delegates 
sailing  round  the  promontory  of  Lectum,  while  Paul 
walked  across  the  base  of  the  isthmus  and  joined  them 
at  Assos,  a  seaport  twenty -four  miles  distant.  Luke 
minutely  traces  for  us  the  course  the  vessel  took  after 
leaving  Assos,  telling  how  it  touched  at  Mitylene,^ 
Chios,^  Samos,  and  Trogyllium,*  each  night  being 
probably  spent  in  some  harbour,  till  at  length  they 
reached  Miletus,^  the  capital  of  Ionia. 

1  Compare  i  Kings  xvii.  21 ;  2  Kings  iv.  34. 

2  Mitylene  was  the  capital  of  the  island  of  Lesbos. 

8  CMOS  and  Samos  are  islands  off  the  coast  of  Asia  Minor. 

4  Trogyllium,  a  seaport  on  the  mainland  opposite  the  island  of 
Samos. 

5  Miletus,  a  seaport  on  the  coast  of  Caria,  about  twenty  or  thirty 
miles  south  of  Ephesus. 


128  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

A  Tearful  Farewell  (chap.  xx.  16-38). — Paul 

had  thus  sailed  past  Ephesus.  Being  anxious  to  reach 
Jerusalem  in  time  for  Pentecost,  he  could  not  visit  that 
city,  but  as  the  vessel  was  to  remain  a  few  days  at 
Miletus,  he  sent  a  message  to  Ephesus  asking  the  elders 
of  the  Church  to  come  there  and  see  him,  which  they 
did.  It  was  probably  on  the  Lord's  Day  that  they 
arrived,  and  he  and  they  spent  it  together.  A  year  had 
passed  since  the  time  when  he  had  hurriedly  to  leave 
Ephesus  after  the  uproar  which  Demetrius,  the  silver- 
smith, had  made  ;  and  they  had  much  to  tell  him  of  the 
progress  of  the  Gospel  there.  He,  too,  had  much  to 
say  to  them,  and  very  touching  was  his  word  of 
farewell.  1  He  recalled  his  faithful  and  fearless  labours 
among  them  ;  then  he  spoke  of  the  future.  For  him 
it  was  veiy  dark.  He  was  going  up  to  Jerusalem,  he 
said,  not  knowing  what  would  befall  him,  except  that 
everywhere  bonds  and  imprisonment  awaited  him. 
Of  one  thing,  however,  he  felt  certain — they  would 
see  his  face  no  more  !  He  called  them  to  witness  the 
faithfulness  of  his  three  years'  ministry  among  them  ; 
he  warned  them  that  trying  times  were  coming,  and 
charged  them  to  be  faithful  in  watching  over  and  feeding 
the  flock  of  God  ;  and  finally  he  commended  them  to  God 
and  to  the  word  of  His  grace.  Then  they  knelt  together 
and  he  prayed  earnestly  for  them  all.  It  was  a  solemn 
and  affecting  scene.  While  he  prayed,  tears  began  to 
course  down  their  cheeks,  and  when  at  the  close  they 
rose  from  their  knees  and  came  one  by  one  to  bid  him 
farewell,  all  were  weeping — saddest  of  all  for  this,  that 
they  should  see  his  face  no  more.  Then  the  sorrowful 
group  accompanied  him  to  the  ship. 

1  This  is  the  only  speech  recorded  in  the  Book  of  Acts  which  we 
can  be  sure  Luke  heard  Paul  deliver.  It  is  not  only  given  in  con- 
siderable detail,  but  we  are  struck  by  the  many  distinctly  Pauline 
expressions  contained  in  it. 


THE  RETURN  TO  JERUSALEM  129 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE   RETURN    TO  JERUSALEM 

Miletus  to  Tyre  (chap.  xxi.  i-6).— At  Miletus  Paul 
parted  with  several  of  his  companions,^  and  only  Luke, 
Trophimus,  and  Aristarchus  ^'  accompanied  him  when  he 
resumed  his  journey.  Sailing  by  Coos^  and  Rhodes* 
to  Patara,  they  there  left  the  small  coasting  vessel  and 
embarked  in  a  large  sea-going  ship,  which,  sailing  direct 
across  the  Levant,  brought  them  in  four  days  to  the 
famous  seaport  of  Tyre.  Here  there  was  a  Christian 
church,^  and  as  the  vessel  had  to  discharge  her  cargo, 
Paul  sought  out  the  disciples,  and  was  able  to  spend  a 
week  with  them ;  and  so  greatly  was  his  visit  appreci- 
ated that  when  he  was  leaving,  the  whole  Christian 
community — including  the  wives  and  children — accom- 
panied him  to  the  ship,  and  there,  kneeling  together  on 
the  shore,  they  parted,  commending  each  other  to  God 
in  prayer. 

The  Last  Stage  of  the  Journey  (chap.  xxi.  7-14). 

— After  sailing  from  Tyre  to  Ptolemais — now  Acre — 
they  left  the  ship,  and  travelled  overland  to  Caesarea. 
In  this  city  there  were  many  Christians.  It  was  the 
place  where  the  Gospel  had  been  first  preached  to  the 
Gentiles  when  Cornelius  was  converted,  and  here 
Philip  the  Evangelist,  aided  by  his  four  daughters, 
laboured.®     As  Paul  had  still  some  time  to  spare  be- 

1  Were  gotten  from  them,  i.e,  "had  torn  ourselves  away 
from  them."     "  Parted  "  in  R.  V. 

2  See  ver.  29 ;  also  chap,  xxvii.  2. 

3  Coos. — Rather  "  Cos,"  a  small  island  on  the  coast  of  Asia  Minor. 

4  Rhodes. — An  island  oflF  the  coast  of  Caria,  famous  in  Greek 
history. 

B  Having  found  disciples  =  "having  found  the  disciples" 
(R.V.).  Probably  a  church  was  founded  here  by  those  who  were 
scattered  by  the  persecution  in  Jerusalem.     See  chap.  xi.  19 ;  xv.  3. 

6  Four  daughters,  etc. — In  the  Apostolic  Church  women  were 
admitted  into  the  service  or  ministry  of  the  Church.  _  Phoebe  was 
a  deaconess  of  the  church  at  Cenchreae.     See  Rom.  xvL  i. 


I30  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

fore  Pentecost,  he  remained  as  the  guest  of  Philip  for 
several  days.  Between  these  two  there  were  many  ties 
of  sympathy,  and  for  Paul  this  must  have  been  a  time 
of  congenial  intercourse.  Alas  !  these  were  the  last 
happy  days  of  freedom  he  was  to  have  for  many  a  day 
— a  gleam  of  sunshine  before  the  closing  in  of  a  dark 
and  stormy  night. 

Those  Coesarean  Christians  were  greatly  concerned 
at  the  risk  Paul  was  running  by  going  to  Jerusalem  at 
that  time ;  and  their  anxiety  was  increased  when  one 
Agabus,  a  Christian  prophet  just  arrived  from  Jerusalem, 
specially  warned  the  Apostle  against  going.  Both  his 
Csesarean  friends  and  his  travelling  companions  implored 
him  not  to  go,  but  he  was  immovable.  *'What  mean 
ye,"  was  his  reply,  "to  weep  and  to  break  my  heart? 
I  am  ready  "not  only  to  be  bound,  but  also  to  die  at 
Jerusalem  for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus."  They 
saw  that  their  entreaties  only  vexed  him,  so,  wiping 
away  their  tears,  they  said,  "The  Lord's  will  be  done." 
Paul's  was  indeed  a  wonderful  character — so  gentle  in 
affection,  yet  so  unyielding  in  determination  ! 

Jerusalem  at  last  (chap.  xxi.  15,  16).— At  length 

Pentecost  drew  near.  It  was  only  three  days  off,  and 
there  still  remained  sixty  miles  to  travel  to  Jerusalem, 
so  the  missionaries,  packing  up  their  baggage,  ^  and 
accompanied  by  some  of  the  Csesarean  disciples,  set 
out  for  the  Holy  City.  Among  the  friends  who  thus 
accompanied  them  was  one  Mnason,  a  Christian  of 
Cyprus,  who  had  been  a  disciple  from  the  beginning."^ 
This  man  had  a  house  in  Jerusalem,  and  the  brethren 
had  arranged  that  Paul  should  stay  with  him,  thinking 
that  there,  if  anywhere,  he  would  be  safe.  This  was 
Paul's  fifth  visit  to  Jerusalem  since  his  conversion,  and  it 
was  to  be  his  last.     He  well  knew  the  prejudice  against 

1  Took  up  our  carriages. — Literally,  "packed  up  our  baggage" 
(R.V.).  In  the  days  when  the  A.V.  was  translated,  the  English 
word  "carriage"  meant  what  had  to  be  carried.  Comp.  i  Sam. 
xvii.  22  ;  Isniah  x.  28. 

2  An  old  disciple.— "  Early  "  (R.V.),  a  disciple  from  the  begm^ 
niag 


THE  RETURN  TO  JERUSALEM  13X 

him  in  that  city,  and  he  had  again  and  again  received 
warning  of  impending  evil  awaiting  him  there.  No 
wonder  if  it  was  with  a  grave,  anxious  look  that  he 
entered  the  city.  Four  years  he  had  been  away  on 
this  third  missionary  journey.  During  that  time  he 
had  visited  the  provinces  of  Galatia,  Proconsular  Asia, 
Macedonia,  and  Achaia  j  he  had  spent  nearly  three  years 
of  his  time  in  Ephesus,  which  had  been  his  headquarters, 
while  six  months  had  been  passed  in  Macedonia,  and  three 
months  in  Corinth.  As  we  sum  up  the  list  we  realise 
how  widely  the  Gospel  was  spreading, — how  steadily  the 
planting  of  the  Christian  Church  was  proceeding. 

Eeception  by  the  Church  at  Jerusalem  (chap. 

xxi.  17-19). — Paul  and  his  companions  were  welcomed 
on  their  arrival  by  a  few  Christian  friends  in  the  house 
of  Mnason,  and  next  day  they  were  formally  received  at 
a  gathering  at  which  all  the  elders  of  the  Church  in 
Jerusalem  were  present,  and  over  which  James,  the 
Lord's  brother,  presided.  The  first  business  of  the 
meeting  was  to  hand  over  the  contributions  sent  by  the 
Gentile  churches.  One  by  one  Paul  would  introduce 
the  delegates  of  those  churches,  and  each  would  present 
the  gift  of  which  he  was  the  bearer.  Then  the  Apostle 
himself  delivered  an  address,  telling  of  the  work  done 
and  the  churches  visited  during  this  third  journey,  and 
recounting  the  wonders  which  God  had  wrought  among 
the  Gentiles.  The  address  was  well  received,  and  any 
feeling  of  doubt  in  the  minds  of  the  elders  was  removed. 
As  on  the  former  occasion,  Paul  quite  won  them  over,* 
and  at  the  close  "  all  the  elders  glorified  God." 

The  Third  Section  of  the  Book.— We  now 

enter  on  the  third  section  of  the  Book  of  Acts — the  record 
of  the  events  which  ended  in  bringing  Paul  the  Christian 
missionary  to  Rome,  the  capital  of  the  world. 

An  Attempt  to  remove  Prejudice  (chap.  xxi. 

20-40). — The  elders  in  Jerusalem  could  not  altogether 

rid  themselves  of  anxiety  as  to  what  the  multitude  might 

say.     The  public  mind  had  been  poisoned  against  Paul. 

1  Chap.  XV.  6-39. 


132   STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

A  report  had  been  circulated  that  he  despised  the  law 
of  Moses,  and  taught  the  Jewish  Christians  abroad 
neither  to  circumcise  their  children  nor  to  keep  those 
ceremonial  observances  which  the  law  required.  Thou- 
sands of  Christians,  it  was  said,  believed  these  reports, 
and  as  there  would  certainly  be  a  gathering  of  the 
people  when  they  heard  of  Paul's  arrival,  something 
must  be  done.  The  elders  advised,  therefore,  that  in 
order  to  remove  all  suspicion,  Paul  should  publicly  do 
something  which  would  show  that  he  was  still  an  ob- 
server of  the  law  of  Moses,  and  they  suggested  a  method 
in  which  this  might  be  done.  Four  Jewish  Christians 
who  had  taken  the  vow  of  the  Nazarite  were  at  that 
time  performing  the  ceremonies  of  purification  connected 
with  it,  .and  the  elders  suggested  that  Paul  should 
associate  himself  with  these  men  in  their  observances. 
The  full  ceremonies  of  a  Nazarite's  vow  would  have 
required  a  longer  time  than  he  had  at  his  disposal,  but 
the  law  provided  that  a  man  might  share  the  vow 
with  others  if  he  could  find  companions  who  had 
already  gone  through  part  of  the  observances,  and 
were  willing  to  allow  him  to  join  them.  This  per- 
mission was  generally  given  on  condition  of  the  new- 
comer paying  the  fees  required  for  the  whole  company, 
and  completing  the  remaining  observances  along  with 
the  others.  The  proposal,  therefore,  was  that  Paul 
should  join  those  four  men,  being  at  charges  for  theniy 
and  that  when  the  last  seven  days  of  the  vow  began  he 
should  go  to  live  with  them  in  the  Temple,  formally 
intimating  to  the  priest  that  he  had  done  so,  and  that 
his  vow  would  finish  along  with  theirs — declaring  the 
accomplishment  of  the  days  of  purification.  To  this 
proposal  Paul  agreed.  The  elders  thought  it  would 
save  him  from  the  effects  of  Jewish  prejudice.  How 
little  they  dreamed  of  what  its  actual  effect  would  be  ! 
Paul  went  to  live  in  the  Temple  ^  with  the  four  men, 

1  In  the  temple. — In  the  court  of  the  women  there  were  along 
the  inner  wall  small  chambers,  in  which  the  Nazarites  used  to  live 
while  fulfilling  the  last  seven  days  of  their  vow. 


THE  RETURN  TO  JERUSALEM  133 

and  five  of  the  seven  days  had  passed  when  some  Jews 
from  Asia,  who  had  come  up  to  the  feast,  entered  the 
Temple.  These  men  had  heard  Paul  preaching  in 
Ephesus,  and  hated  him.  They  recognised  him  now, 
and  raised  an  outcry  against  him  as  an  enemy  of  their 
religion,  calling  on  the  people  to  help  in  arresting  him, 
declaring  that  he  had  polluted  the  Temple  by  bringing 
Gentiles  into  it.  This  was  untrue.  They  had  seen 
Paul  in  the  city  with  Trophimus,  the  delegate  from 
Ephesus,  whom  they  knew,  and  they  concluded  that  he 
had  taken  this  stranger  into  the  inner  court,  which  no 
Gentile  might  enter.  Immediately  a  great  tumult  arose. 
A  crowd  rushed  into  the  Temple,  and,  seizing  Paul, 
dragged  him  out  of  the  inner  court,  the  Levites  imme- 
diately shutting  the  doors,  that  the  sacred  place  might 
not  be  profaned  by  his  blood  being  shed  in  it,  for  the 
intention  was  to  kill  him.  And  killed  he  would  cer- 
tainly have  been  but  for  the  timely  interference  of  the 
Roman  soldiers.  Close  by  the  Temple,  and  overlooking 
it,  was  the  Tower  of  Antonia,i  a  fortress  in  which  a 
Roman  garrison  was  always  quartered.  From  this  tower 
the  guard  saw  the  tumult  going  on  in  the  Temple 
court,  and  immediately  Lysias,  the  officer  in  command, 
hurrred  down  with  a  detachment  of  his  troops,  who, 
forcing  their  way  through  the  crowd,  rescued  the  un- 
known man  who  was  being  beaten  to  death.  When 
he  had  secured  him  and  ordered  his  hands  to  be 
bound  to  two  of  the  soldiers  by  chains,  the  captain 
inquired  who  the  man  was,  and  what  was  the  cause 
of  the  uproar.  From  the  confused  cries  that  arose  in 
answer  to  his  question  he  could  learn  nothing,  so  he 
ordered  Paul  to  be  marched  into  the  barracks.  When 
they  reached  the  flight  of  steps  leading  to  the  fortress, 
the  mob,  furious  at  his  being  thus  taken  out  of  their 
hands,  made  a  rush  at  Paul,  yelling  out,  **  Away  with 

1  The  Tower  of  Antonla.— A  fortress  built  by  Herod  the  Great 
on  a  rock  at  the  north-west  corner  of  the  Temple  area.  The  Romans 
always  kept  this  fortress  strongly  garrisoned  with  troops  to  overawe 
Jerusalem.  At  the  festival  seasons,  when  Jerusalem  was  crowded, 
the  garrison  consisted  of  a  cohort — a  band  of  1000  men. 


134  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

him  !  Away  with  him  !  "  So  furious  were  they  that  the 
soldiers  had  to  close  round  their  prisoner,  and,  lifting 
him  off  his  feet,  carry  him  till  he  was  beyond  reach  of 
the  crowd,  their  comrades  meanwhile  keeping  back  the 
mob  with  their  weapons.  As  they  were  entering  the  fort, 
Paul  gently  asked  Lysias  if  he  might  speak  to  him. 
The  captain  was  surprised  to  hear  him  speak  in  Greek, 
for  he  had  supposed  that  his  prisoner  was  an  Egyptian 
impostor,  who  some  time  before  had  raised  an  insurrec- 
tion, and  who,  when  his  forces  were  defeated  by  Felix, 
had  himself  escaped.  He  asked  Paul  who  he  was,  and 
in  reply  Paul  told  him  that  he  was  a  Jew  of  Tarsus  in 
Cilicia — no  mean  city, — and  he  begged  that  he  might 
be  allowed  to  speak  to  the  people.  Permission  was 
granted,  and  apparently  the  fetters  were  removed  from 
one  of  his  hands.  Then  taking  up  a  position  on  the 
stairs,  and  raising  his  unfettered  hand  for  silence,  Paul 
proceeded  to  address  the  crowd.  Gradually  the  yells 
and  cries  ceased,  and  the  people  became  quiet.  He 
spoke  in  the  Hebrew  tongue,  which  was  a  surprise  to 
them,  for  they  had  expected  Greek,  and  they  listened 
the  more  attentively.  Well  might  they  listen.  It  was 
no  ordinary  speech  they  were  to  hear. 


CHAPTER   XXII 

ENTERING   A   ROMAN    PRISON 

Retrospect   and   Defence    (chap.    xxii.    1-23). — 

*'  Brethren  and  fathers,  hear  my  defence,  which  I 
now  make  unto  you."  Thus  the  poor  wounded,  ill- 
used  man  began,  calm  and  self-possessed  in  the  midst 
of  that  scene  of  tumult.  He  assured  them  that,  as  a 
Jew,  who,  though  born  in  Tarsus,  had  been  brought  up 
in  Jerusalem,  in  the  school  of  Gamaliel,  he  was  as  zealous 
for  God  as  they  were.     Then  he  told  them  the  story  of  his 


ENTERING  A  ROMAN  PRISON  135 

conversion,  and  explained  how,  even  after  his  conversion, 
he  had  been  faithful  to  the  rites  of  Judaism  and  the  law 
of  Moses.  He  had  been  unwilling  even  to  leave  Jeru- 
salem, till  one  day  in  that  very  Temple  he  had  received 
a  revelation  from  God.  Up  to  this  point  the  crowd 
listened,  for  the  speaker  was  eloquent  and  the  story  was 
interesting.  But  when  he  went  on  to  tell  how  in  that 
vision  God  had  said  to  him,  "  Depart :  for  I  will 
send  thee  far  hence  unto  the  Gentiles,"  their  attitude 
changed.  "  The  Gentiles  ! "  That  word  fell  like  a 
spark  on  a  magazine  of  fanaticism.  Was  not  this 
exactly  what  they  had  been  told  about  him  ?  Did  it  not 
confirm  their  worst  suspicions?  The  moment  the  fatal 
word  was  spoken,  their  fury  broke  out  afresh  in  a  wild 
cry,  *  *  Away  with  such  a  fellow  from  the  earth  1  It  is 
not  fit  that  he  should  live  ! "  With  wild  demonstrations 
of  impotent  rage,  they  shrieked  and  yelled,  and,  snatch- 
ing up  handfuls  of  dust,  threw  it  at  him  in  the  violence 
of  uncontrolled  passion.  Fortunately  the  chief  captain 
and  the  Roman  soldiers  were  at  hand,  and,  to  save 
Paul  from  their  violence,  they  marched  him  into  the 
castle.  To  those  Roman  soldiers  Paul  owed  his  life, 
but  it  is  pathetic  to  see  him  pass  within  a  Roman 
prison,  and  to  think  that  it  is  at  least  doubtful  whether 
he  was  ever  free  again.  Even  if  he  was  liberated,  it 
was  only  for  a  short  time,  and  to  be  again  arrested. 
Never,  alas  !  did  he  get  clear  of  the  meshes  of  that 
Roman  net  now  falling  over  him  till  these  were  cut  for 
him  by  the  headsman's  axe. 

Examined  by  Scourging  (chap.  xxii.  24-30). — 

Lysias,  being  ignorant  of  Hebrew,  had  not  understood 
Paul's  address,  and  he  was  both  perplexed  and  annoyed 
at  the  outbreak.  Determined  to  get  at  the  meaning  of 
it  all,  he  ordered  Paul  to  be  "examined  by  scourging" 
— that  is,  to  be  flogged  till  he  should  confess  what  he 
had  done  that  the  people  should  be  so  infuriated  against 
him.  Paul  knew  something  of  what  a  Roman  flogging 
meant.  He  had  been  beaten  with  rods  at  Philippi, 
but  this  time  it  was  a  new  torture  that   threatened 


136  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

him — the  terrible  lash  with  which  the  Romans  tried 
to  extort  the  truth.  The  rough  soldiers  seized  him, 
and,  stripping  him  to  the  waist,  proceeded  to  tie  him 
to  the  whipping-post  within  the  prison.  As  they  did 
so,  however,  Paul  quietly  asked  the  centurion  in  charge, 
"Is  it  lawful  for  you  to  scourge  a  Roman  citizen  who 
has  not  been  condemned  ?  "  ^  The  centurion  started  at 
the  question.  It  was  now  his  turn  to  be  afraid.  Bid- 
ding the  soldiers  desist,  he  went*  to  Lysias  and  warned 
him  that  Paul  was  a  Roman  citizen.  The  chief  captain, 
well  aware  of  how  serious  an  offence  it  was  to  flog  a 
Roman  citizen,  knew  that  already  he  had  rendered  him- 
self liable  to  punishment  for  having  even  bound  Paul. 
Hastening  at  once  to  the  prisoner,  he  inquired  whether 
he  was  a^  Roman  citizen  ;  and  it  must  have  been  with  some 
anxiety  that  he  heard  Paul's  quiet  but  decided  "Yes." 
"It  was  with  a  great  price  that  I  got  this  citizenship  my- 
self," said  the  captain.  "  But  I  am  a  Roman  born,"  re- 
plied Paul.  Now  everything  was  changed.  Those  who 
were  to  have  scourged  him  were  sent  away,  and  the  cap- 
tain was  left  uncomfortably  anxious  as  to  what  might  be 
the  consequence  to  himself  of  this  outrage.  Next  day,  in 
order  to  have  the  matter  fully  investigated,  he  ordered 
the  priests  to  summon  a  meeting  of  the  Sanhedrin,  and 
Paul,  escorted  by  a  guard  of  Roman  soldiers,  was 
brought  before  it. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

TRIAL   BEFORE   THE    SANHEDRIN 

Tried  before  the  Sanhedrin  (chap,  xxiii.  i-io). — 

There  was  a  full  attendance  of  the  Sanhedrin.  It 
was  over  twenty  years  since  Paul  had  been  in  that  court 
before.     Then  he  had  been  one  of  its  members,  and 

1  See  note,  p.  53. 


TRIAL  BEFORE  THE  SANHEDRIM        137 

Stephen  stood  at  the  bar,  while  he  himself  was  one  of 
the  accusers.  How  times  had  changed  !  Did  he  recall 
now  the  doings  of  that  day  and  the  strange  light  that 
had  then  shone  in  Stephen's  face?  Little  wonder  it 
was  that  when  called  to  speak  he  stood  for  a  moment 
silent,  filled  with  emotion,  and  gazing  earnestly  into  the 
faces  of  his  judges.  At  length  he  began  :  **  Brethren, 
all  my  life  I  have  lived  with  a  good  conscience  toward 
God  up  till  this  day."  Something  in  the  words  irritated 
Ananias,  the  high  priest,  who  ordered  the  guard  to 
smite  Paul  on  the  mouth.  With  a  flash  of  indignation, 
Paul  answered,  *'  God  shall  smite  thee,  thou  whited 
wall  !  Sittest  thou  to  judge  me  according  to  the  law, 
and  yet  commandest  me  to  be  smitten  contrary  to 
the  law?"  The  words  found  a  striking  fulfilment 
when  a  few  years  later,  during  the  Jewish  war,  Ananias 
was  stabbed  to  death  when  trying  to  hide  in  a  city 
drain.  But  they  were  perhaps  hasty  words,  and  when 
the  bystanders  pointed  out  that  it  was  to  the  high 
priest  he  was  speaking,  Paul  at  once  said  he  had  not 
known  it  was  the  high  priest.^  No  more  seems  to 
have  been  said  about  it,  and  the  case  proceeded.  Paul, 
noticing  that  some  of  the  council  were  Pharisees  and 
some  Sadducees,  said  in  a  loud  voice,  ' '  Brethren,  I 
am  a  Pharisee,  the  son  of  a  Pharisee,  and  it  is  con- 
cerning the  hope  and  resurrection  of  the  dead  that  I 
am  being  called  in  question  now."  That  sentence 
at  once  divided  the  two  parties,  and  led  them  into  a 
fierce  argument  with  each  other  over  the  question  of  a 
resurrection.  So  sharp  was  the  discussion  that  at  length 
the  scribes — who  were  Pharisees — declared  they  found 
no  evil  in  this  man.  At  this  the  excitement  and 
clamour  became  so  great  that  Lysias,  fearing  lest  Paul 

1  I  wist  not,  etc. — Several  explanations  of  this  statement  have 
been  given.  It  might  well  be  that  in  the  crowded  assembly  Paul 
had  not  noticed  who  gave  the  order  ;  or  that  his  defective  eyesight 
had  failed  to  recognise  the  high  priest ;  or  possibly,  owing  to  his 
recent  arrival  in  Jerusalem,  he  was  not  aware  who  was  high  priest. 
Some  have  suggested,  however,  that  Paul  was  speaking  in  grave 
irony  a  protest  against  such  unjust  and  tyrannical  conduct  on  the 
part  of  one  who  was  God's  high  priest. 


138   STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OP  THE  APOSTLES 

should  be  torn  in  pieces,  ordered  the  soldiers  to  bring 
him  into  the  castle.  Thus  Paul  was  a  second  time 
rescued  by  the  Roman  soldiers.  After  all  this  excite- 
ment and  ill-usage  he  felt  depressed  and  sick  at  heart ; 
but  that  night  in  his  prison  cell  the  Lord  Jesus  appeared 
to  him  while  he  slept,  and,  in  comforting  and  encouraging 
words,  assured  him  that,  as  he  had  testified  for  his  Lord 
in  Jerusalem,  so  would  he  bear  witness  at  Rome  also. 

An  Exciting  Adventure  (chap.  xxiiL  11-35). — 

The  division  in  the  Sanhedrin  regarding  Paul  was  only 
temporary.  Soon  their  hatred  against  him  united  them, 
and  the  very  next  day  forty  of  them  joined  in  a  conspiracy 
to  murder  him,  taking  an  oath  that  they  would  neither 
eat  nor  drink  till  they  had  done  so.  Their  plan  was 
to  get  Paul  brought  once  more  before  the  Sanhedrin 
and  murder  him  on  his  way  to  the  meeting.  The  plot, 
however,  became  known  to  a  nephew  ^  of  Paul's,  who 
at  once  informed  the  Roman  commander  regarding  it. 
Lysias,  thus  warned,  took  immediate  steps  for  Paul's 
protection,  and  sent  him  off  that  night  with  an  escort 
of  470  soldiers  ^  to  Csesarea,  the  residence  of  Felix,  the 
Roman  procurator,  sending  with  him  a  letter  to  Felix 
narrating  the  circumstances  which  had  led  to  his  being 
sent.  That  letter  proved  a  good  friend  to  Paul  for  many 
a  day.  The  whole  escort  made  a  forced  march  of 
forty  miles  to  Antipatris,  where  the  greater  part — con- 
sisting of  the  foot-soldiers — left  and  returned  to  Jeru- 
salem, while  Paul,  with  the  cavalry,  rode  on  the 
remaining  twenty-five  miles  to  Csesarea.  Immediately 
on  their  arrival  the  centurion  and  his  prisoner  were 
taken  before  the  Governor.  Felix  read  the  letter  from 
Lysias,  inquired  what  province  Paul  belonged  to,  and 
said  he  would  hear  the  case  when  the  accusers  were 
also  come.  Thereafter  Paul  was  handed  over  to  a 
soldier  to  be  kept,  fortunately  not   in  the   loathsome 

1  Paul's  sister's  son. — This  is  the  only  reference  to  Paul's  family 
relations  in  the  Book  of  Acts.  In  Rom.  xvi.  7-1 1  we  learn  that  he 
had  kinsmen  living  in  Rome. 

a  Soldiers  . . .  horsemen  . . .  spearmen. — The  words  describa 
the  three  varieties  of  troops  which  formed  a  Roman  army. 


IV£AJ^V  BAYS  IN  PRISON  139 

prison,  but  in  one  of  the  soldiers'  barrack -rooms  in  the 
old  palace  of  Herod,  now  used  as  the  residence  of  the 
Roman  procurator. 


CHAPTER  XXrV 

WEARY  DAYS   IN   PRISON 

Accused  before  Felix  (chap.  xxiv.  1-9). — Antonius 

Felix,  before  whom  Paul  was  to  be  tried,  was  the  worst 
governor  Judaea  ever  had.  Tacitus,  the  Roman  historian, 
wrote  of  him,  *•  He  exercises  the  authority  of  a  king  with 
the  spirit  of  a  slave."  For  Paul  it  cannot  have  been  a 
cheering  prospect.  Fortunately,  however,  he  had  not 
long  to  wait,  for  within  five  days  from  the  time  he  had 
himself  left  Jerusalem,  Ananias,  the  high  priest,  and 
several  of  the  Jewish  elders  arrived,  bringing  with  them  a 
hired  advocate  named  Tertullus,  whom  they  had  engaged 
to  conduct  their  case.  When  the  trial  came  on,  Paul 
was  taken  to  the  place  outside  the  castle  where  Felix 
sat  in  judgment.  On  the  case  being  called,  Tertullus 
stepped  forward  and  made  a  speech  for  the  prosecution. 
After  a  flattering  reference  to  Felix,  he  charged  Paul  with 
being  a  wicked,  pestilent  fellow,  submitting  three  specific 
charges  against  him,  viz.  :  (i)  Rebellion  or  sedition,  he 
having  created  disturbances  not  only  in  Palestine,  but 
throughout  the  empire  ;  (2)  Heresy,  he  being  a  ring- 
leader of  the  Nazarenes,  and  disturbing  the  Jews  in 
their  worship;  and  (3)  Sacrilege,  he  having  attempted 
to  profane  the  Temple.  In  conclusion  he  complained 
of  the  violent  conduct  of  Lysias,  the  captain  in  Jerusalem, 
in  taking  the  prisoner  out  of  their  hands.  When  he  had 
finished,  the  Jewish  elders  concurred  in  the  statements 
he  had  made. 

The  Prisoner's  Defence  (chap.  xxiv.  10-27).— 
Paul  was  then  called  on  for  his  defence.     He  had  no 


I40  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

hired  advocate  to  speak  for  him,  but  he  was  well  able 
to  speak  for  himself.  After  expressing  satisfaction  at 
being  tried  before  one  familiar  with  Jewish  affairs,  he 
took  the  charges  made  against  him  and  refuted  them 
one  by  one.  It  was  but  twelve  days,i  he  said,  since  he 
had  returned  to  Jerusalem,  and  five  of  these  he  had 
spent  in  Roman  custody,  so  that  he  had  not  had  time, 
even  had  he  wished,  to  engage  in  plots  against  the 
government ;  moreover,  neither  in  the  Temple  nor  in 
the  city  had  they  found  him  disputing  or  raising  a 
tumult.  That  he  belonged  to  the  sect  of  the  Nazarenes 
he  admitted,  but  so  far  from  having  renounced  the 
observances  of  the  Jewish  law,  he  was  actually  in 
the  Temple  engaged  in  the  performance  of  such  ob- 
servances when  he  was  arrested.  "  I  believe,"  he  said, 
"all  the  things  written  in  the  law  and  the  Prophets,  and 
like  those  Jews  themselves,  I  look  for  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead."  Then  he  repeated  the  words  which  had 
made  Ananias  so  angry  before:  "Herein  I  strive  to 
have  always  a  clear  conscience  toward  God  and  men."^ 
He  challenged  the  accusers  to  prove  anything  against 
him,  unless  it  was  his  statement  that  for  his  belief  in  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead  he  was  being  called  in  question. 
Felix  knew  more  about  Christianity  ^  than  Paul's 
accusers  imagined.  He  had  also  in  his  hand  the  letter 
of  Lysias  giving  his  account  of  the  affair,  so,  professing 
to  wait  for  further  evidence,  he  adjourned  the  case  till 
Lysias  should  come.  Paul  was  then  led  back  to  prison. 
He  had  evidently,  however,  made  a  good  impression 
on  Felix,  for  the  centurion  was  ordered  to  let  him  have 
considerable  liberty  within  the  castle,  and  to  allow  his 
friends  to  visit  him.     All  the  same,  it  is  weary  work 

1  Twelve  days. — The  days  may  be  reckoned  thus :  (i)  Paul's 
arrival  in  Jerusalem ;  (2)  his  interview' with  James  and  the  elders 
(chap.  xxi.  18) ;  (3)  he  joins  the  men  in  their  purification  (chap. 
xxi.  26) ;  (3-7)  spent  in  the  Temple ;  (7)  the  arrest ;  (8)  trial  before 
the  Sanhednn  (chap.  xxii.  30)  ;  (9)  leaves  Jerusalem ;  ^10)  reaches 
Antipatris ;  (11, 12)  at  Caesarea ;  (13)  the  day  on  which  he  is  speaking. 

2  Chap,  xxiii.  i, 

3  "mat  way.— Better,  "the  Way"  (R.V.),  t.e.  the  Christian 
religion  (see  chiap.  ix.  2). 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  END  141 

spending  one's  days  in  prison.  Some  time  after  this  the 
monotony  of  his  prison-life  was  broken  by  a  summons 
to  appear  again  before  Felix.  "  Was  his  trial  to  be 
finished  now  ?  Rad  Lysias  come  ?  "  If  such  thoughts 
occurred  to  Paul,  he  was  mistaken.  Lysias  had  not 
come,  but  Felix  and  his  beautiful  but  wicked  young 
wife  Drusilla  thought  they  would  like  to  hear  more 
about  the  Christian  faith,  and  so  Felix  had  sent  for  him. 
Paul  knew  the  shameful  doings  of  these  two,  and  he 
talked  very  straight  to  them  about  righteousness,  tem- 
perance, and  judgment  1  to  come — so  straight  indeed, 
that  Felix's  guilty  conscience  made  him  afraid.  A 
feeling  of  terror  seized  him,  and,  hurriedly  stopping  the 
speaker,  he  told  him  to  go  away  for  the  present,  adding 
that,  when  he  had  a  more  convenient  opportunity,  he 
would  send  for  him  again.  On  several  other  occasions 
Paul  was  called  before  him,  but  it  was  more  in  the 
hope  of  obtaining  a  bribe  to  set  him  free  than  with 
any  real  desire  to  learn  about  Christianity.  Paul  would 
offer  no  bribe,  and  so  the  days  went  by,  till  two  whole 
years  had  passed,  and  still  he  was  a  prisoner  in  the 
castle  at  Caesarea.  How  strange  it  seems  that  God 
should  allow  one  so  eager  and  so  able  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  lie  in  prison  apparently  wasting  his  days  ! 
But  God's  ways  are  not  as  our  ways ;  and  God's  way 
is  best. 


CHAPTER   XXV 

THE   BEGINNING   OF  THE   END 

Appeal  to  Csesar  (chap,  xxv.  1-12). — At  the  end  of 
two  years  Felix  was  recalled  in  disgrace,  and  Porcius 
Festus,  a  very  different   type   of  man,   was    appcinted 

1  R.y.  The  Judgment. 


142  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

procurator  in  his  place.  Immediately  on  his  arrival  in 
Csesarea,  Festus  paid  a  visit  to  Jerusalem,  where  the 
chief  priests  and  elders  tried  to  enlist  his  influence 
against  Paul,  begging  that  he  would  either  sentence  this 
prisoner  at  once,  or  send  him  to  Jerusalem  for  trial. 
They  cherished  the  hope  that  if  the  latter  were  done, 
they  might  still  carry  out  their  purpose  of  having  him 
murdered  on  the  way.  Festus,  however,  said  it  would 
be  better  that  one  or  two  of  their  number  should 
accompany  him  to  Csesarea,  where  he  promised  he 
would  investigate  the  matter  at  once.  Eight  or  ten  days 
afterwards  he  returned  to  Csesarea,  and  the  very  next 
day  Paul  was  brought  up  for  trial.  The  same  accusa- 
tions that  had  been  made  against  him  by  Tertullus  were 
now  repeated,  but  this  time  the  Jews  had  no  advocate, 
and  very  soon  the  trial  degenerated  into  a  scene  of 
passionate  clamour ;  till  at  length  Festus,  desiring  to 
end  the  undignified  scene,  and  at  the  same  time  anxious 
to  ingratiate  himself  with  the  leading  Jews,  asked  Paul 
whether  he  would  go  to  Jerusalem,  and  there  be  tried 
by  the  Jewish  Council  in  his  presence.  Paul's  heart 
must  have  sunk  within  him  at  that.  He  well  knew 
that,  while  from  a  Roman  tribunal  he  might  have  some 
chance  of  justice,  from  the  Jews  he  had  none.  Some- 
times in  his  Csesarean  prison  it  had  crossed  his  mind 
that  perhaps  it  might  come  to  this,  and  he  had  made 
up  his  mind  what  in  that  case  he  should  do.  For  a 
moment  he  paused,  as  if  realising  how  momentous  were 
the  words  he  was  about  to  utter.  Then,  pale  with  ex- 
citement, he  slowly  and  deliberately  uttered  a  sentence 
which  startled  the  whole  assembly  :  **  I  am  standing 
here,"i  he  said,  "at  Csesar's  judgment-seat,  where  I  ought 
as  a  Roman  citizen  to  be  tried.  To  the  Jews  I  have  done 
no  wrong,  as  thou  very  well  knowest.  If  I  am  a  wrong- 
doer and  worthy  of  death,  I  do  not  refuse  to  die  :  but  if 
those  things  whereof  they  accuse  me  are  nothing,  no 
man  can  hand  me  over  to  them  as  a  favour.     /  appeal 

1  I  stand,  R.V.   "am  standing,"  ^f.  I  am  a  Roman  citizen 
before  a  Roman  tribunal. 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  END  143 

to  Casary"^  The  words  produced  a  startling  effect,  and 
the  proceedings  immediately  terminated.  Festus  was 
evidently  annoyed  that  his  first  case  should  have  thus 
been  appealed.  He  consulted  his  assessors,  and  •  then 
answered  sharply,  **  Thou  hast  appealed  to  Caesar ; 
unto  Caesar  shalt  thou  go  ! "  The  die  was  cast.  The 
cause  of  Christianity  would  now  be  tried  before  the 
highest  court  in  the  world.  Paul  had  long  desired  to 
see  Rome ;  now  the  whole  Roman  power  was  at  his 
service  to  conduct  him  thither.  The  Roman  authorities 
would  find  a  ship,  defray  the  cost,  and  see  that  the  way 
was  clear.  With  Festus  it  now  lay  to  arrange  those 
details.  One  thing,  however,  troubled  him  in  connec- 
tion with  the  case.  In  his  official  report,  accompany- 
ing the  prisoner,  he  must  state  the  crime  of  which  he 
was  accused,  and  Festus  knew  of  none  I 

Festus  and  King  Agrippa  (chap.  xxv.  13-27). — 

When  the  court  broke  up,  Paul  was  conveyed  back  to 
the  castle  to  wait  until  a  ship  should  be  found.  While 
he  waited,  he  had  an  unexpected  opportunity  of  pleading 
the  cause  of  Christ  before  royalty  itself.  Among  the 
distinguished  visitors  who  came  to  Caesarea  to  pay  their 
respects  to  the  new  procurator  were  King  Agrippa  II. ^ 
and  his  notorious  sister  Bernice.  To  Agrippa,  who 
was  a  Jew,  Festus  happened  to  mention  the  remarkable 
Jewish  prisoner  who  was  causing  him  so  much  trouble, 
and  being  interested  in  the  particulars  of  the  case, 
Agrippa  expressed  a  wish  to  see  the  man — a  wish 
which  Festus  was  only  too  pleased  to  gratify,  for  from  a 

1  This  right  of  appealing  to  Caesar  was  the  highest  privilege  a 
Roman  citizen  enjoyed.  If  he  thought  himself  unjustly  treated,  the 
accused  had  only  to  utter  the  single  word  Appello  (I  appeal),  and 
immediateljr  the  proceedings  were  suspended  and  the  case  trans- 
ferred for  trial  to  the  court  of  the  Emperor  in  Rome. 

2  Agrippa. — This  was  Herod  Agrippa  II.,  son  of  the  Herod 
who  had  slain  James,  and  who  died  the  horrible  death  in  this  palace 
of  Csesarea  (chap.  xii.  i,  21).  On  account  of  his  youth  he  was 
not  appointed  to  succeed  his  father  when  he  died,  but  was  shortly 
after  made  King  of  Chalcis,  from  which  he  was  afterwards  transferred 
to  govern  the  tetrarchies  which  Philip  and  Lysanias  formerly  held 
and  was  named  "king"  thereof  by  courtesy.  Bernice  and  Drusilla 
were  his  sisters. 


144  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

Jewish  prince  he  might  get  some  help  in  dealing  with  a 
case  which  perplexed  him.  Accordingly  a  great  function 
was  arranged  for  the  next  day.  Agrippa  and  Bernice 
were  there  in  great  pomp.  The  other  dignitaries  at  that 
time  in  Csesarea,  the  ofiScers  of  the  army,  and  the  lead- 
ing inhabitants  of  the  town  were  also  invited,  and  when 
all  were  assembled,  Paul,  escorted  by  a  soldier,  was  led 
in.  It  was  not  a  regular  formal  trial ;  that  could  only 
take  place  in  Rome  now.  The  object  of  the  meeting 
was  rather  to  afford  Agrippa  an  opportunity  of  hearing 
Paul  speak  on  Christianity.  Festus  opened  the  proceed- 
ings with  an  introductory  statement,  explaining  the 
difficulties  of  the  case,  and  then  called  on  Paul  to  speak. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

PAUL  AND   KING  AGRIPPA 

Paul  before  King  Agrippa  (chap.  xxvi.  1-32).— 

Calm  and  self-possessed,  unawed  even  in  the  presence 
of  such  auditors,  the  Apostle  stepped  forward.  Having 
expressed  satisfaction  at  speaking  in  the  presence  of  one 
like  Agrippa,  who,  being  familiar  with  Jewish  affairs, 
could  understand  the  questions  in  dispute,  he  went  on 
to  contrast  his  past  life  with  his  present  position.  He 
had  been,  he  said,  as  strict  a  Pharisee  as  any,  and  the 
reason  why  he  was  standing  there  that  day  was  because 
he  believed  that  the  hope  of  every  Jewish  heart  had 
been  fulfilled — that  the  Messiah  had  come  in  the  person 
of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  who  had  been  crucified,  but  had 
risen  from  the  dead.  Why,  he  asked,  should  it  be 
thought  incredible  that  God  should  raise  the  dead? 
Once,  indeed,  he  had  not  himself  believed  these 
things,  and  he  had  bitterly  persecuted  those  who  did, 
but  God  had  taught  him  otherwise.  He  then  related 
the  story  of  his  conversion,  and  told  how,  in  obedience 


PAUL  AND  KING  AGRIPPA  145 

to  the  heavenly  vision,  he  had  by  God's  help  become 
a  preacher  of  Christianity  both  to  the  Jews  and  to  the 
Gentiles.  Festus  listened  in  growing  bewilderment,  and 
at  last  he  suddenly  exclaimed,  "Paul,  thou  art  mad  1^ 
Those  many  writings  ^  have  made  thee  mad  !  "  Calmly, 
and  with  gentleness,  Paul  replied,  "  No,  I  am  not  mad, 
most  noble  Festus  !  I  am  speaking  words  of  reality 
and  soberness.  The  king  knows  about  those  things  of 
which  I  am  speaking,  for  they  took  place  publicly,  and 
were  well  known."  Then  turning  to  Agrippa  for  con- 
firmation, he  said,  "  King  Agrippa,  believest  thou  the 
prophets?  Yea,  I  know  that  thou  believest."  But 
Agrippa,  uncomfortable  under  this  direct  appeal,  replied 
contemptuously,  "With  but  little  persuasion  thou 
woiildst  fain  make  me  a  Christian  ! "  It  was  a  sneer, 
but  Paul  took  it  up  solemnly,  and  replied,  "  I  would  to 
God  that,  whether  with  little  persuasion  or  with  much, 
not  only  thou,  but  all  who  hear  me  this  day  might 
become  such  as  I  am — except,"  he  added,  raising  his 
fettered  hands — "except  these  bonds."  At  this  the 
king,  by  rising  from  his  seat,  gave  the  signal  for  the 
meeting  to  break  up.  As  the  distinguished  assembly 
dispersed,  the  remark  was  heard  on  all  hands  that  this 
was  not  a  man  worthy  of  death.  He  had  made  a  most 
favourable  impression,  and  the  decision  formally  given 
by  Agrippa  was,  "  This  man  might  have  been  set  at 
liberty  if  he  had  not  appealed  to  Caesar.  "^  So  Paul 
was  found  innocent,  and  yet  led  back  to  prison  ! 

1  Beside  thyself;  R.V.  "mad." 

2  Much  learning. — Literally,  "  the  many  writings."  The  word 
■was  one  which  the  Jews  used  for  their  sacred  writings,  viz.  the 
Old  Testament.     (See  2  Tim.  iv.  13.) 

"^  Thus  alike  by  Festus,  the  Roman  (chap,  xacv,  25X  and  by 
Agrippa,  the  Jew,  was  Paul  pronounced  innocent. 


146  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

A  DISASTROUS  VOYAGE 

Setting  Sail  for  Rome  (chap,  xxvii.  i-6). — A  vessel 

belonging  to  Adramyttium  was  about  to  sail  from  Caesarea 
on  her  homeward  passage,  and  would  call  at  some  of  the 
ports  ^  of  Asia  on  her  way,  so  it  was  decided  that  Paul  and 
some  other  prisoners  should  be  sent  in  her,  in  the  hope 
that  at  one  or  other  of  those  ports  they  might  find  a 
vessel  bound  for  Italy.  A  centurion  named  Julius,  a 
kind,  humane  man,  who  treated  Paul  with  much  con- 
sideration, -was  in  charge,  and  Paul  was  fortunate  in 
being  able  to  have  with  him  his  two  friends,  Luke,  who 
has  so  graphically  described  for  us  every  detail  of  the 
eventful  voyage,  and  Aristarchus,  the  man  who  was 
dragged  into  the  theatre  at  Ephesus.  The  voyage  began 
auspiciously.  With  a  favouring  breeze  they  reached 
Sidon  next  day,  and  there  Julius  kindly  allowed  Paul  to 
go  ashore  and  visit  his  Christian  friends.  It  was  well, 
for  the  happy  day  he  spent  with  them  was  the  last 
bright  time  he  was  to  have  for  many  a  day.  Hardly 
had  they  left  Sidon  when  contrary  winds  sprang  up,  and 
their  journey  became  henceforth  a  succession  of  mis- 
fortunes, delays,  and  dangers. 

A  Crowded  Ship  and  Eough  Weather  (chap. 

xxvii.  7-12). — AtMyra  they  found  an  Egyptian  grain-laden 
vessel  bound  for  Rome,  and  into  this  Julius  transferred 
his  prisoners.  The  vessel  must  have  been  very  crowded, 
for  what  between  passengers,  prisoners,  soldiers,  and  crew, 
there  were  no  fewer  than  276  souls  on  board.  Remem- 
bering what  a  ship  was  in  those  days,  one  can  realise  the 
discomfort  which  this  implies  through  the  experiences 
that  followed.     After  leaving  Myra  they  encountered  bad 

1  "A  ship  which  was  about  to  sail  unto  the  places  on  the  coast 
of  Asia"  (R.V.).  The  changes  in  the  R.V.  throughout  this  whole 
narrative  are  very  significant,  and  should  be  carefully  noted. 


A  DISASTROUS   VOYAGE  147 

weather,  and  were  kept  for  some  weeks  beating  about  in 
the  ^gean  Sea,  before  they  reached  the  Fair  Havens,  a 
bay  in  the  south  of  Crete.  It  was  now  October,^  and  as 
yet  they  were  but  a  third  of  their  way  to  Rome.  The 
wintry  storms  would  soon  be  setting  in,  and  they  debated 
whether  they  should  not  remain  where  they  were  for 
the  winter.  Paul,  who  was  an  experienced  sailor  and 
familiar  with  the  Mediterranean,  strongly  advised  that 
they  should,  but  the  captain  and  owner  of  the  vessel 
were  anxious  rather  to  make  for  Phoenix,  another  and 
more  commodious  harbour  in  Crete  only  a  short  distance 
off,  and  this  was  decided  on. 

A  Terrific  Storm  (chap,  xxvii.  13-26). — In  a  few 
days  the  weather  cleared,  and  with  a  gentle  south  wind 
blowing,  they  weighed  anchor  and  sailed  for  Phoenix, 
expecting  that  a  run  of  a  few  hours  along  the  coast  would 
bring  them  to  it.  Indeed,  so  fine  was  the  weather  and 
so  short  the  distance,  that  they  did  not  deem  it  necessary 
to  take  in  the  ship's  boat,  but  left  it  to  be  towed  behind. 
They  had  not  proceeded  far,  however,  when  the  weather 
changed  and  a  gale  ^  sprang  up  which  drove  them  out 
to  sea.  To  keep  the  vessel's  head  to  the  wind  was 
impossible,  so  letting  her  drive  before  it,  they  made  for 
the  shelter  of  the  island  of  Clauda,^  25  miles  off,  under 
the  lee  of  which  they  prepared  to  weather  the  storm. 
They  set  about  hauling  in  the  boat,  but  found  it  a  task 
of  no  small  difficulty  in  such  a  sea.  By  and  by  the  heavy 
mast  swinging  to  and  fro  so  strained  the  timbers  of  the 
ship  that  she  began  to  leak.  They  therefore  passed  ropes 
under  the  hull,  and  by  twisting  these  tight  with  sticks 
tried  to  draw  the  planks  together  and  prevent  the  leak 
from  widening.     As  the  gale  increased  they  were  driven 

1  The  Fast  was  already  past,  i.e.  the  Great  Day  of  Atone- 
ment (Lev.  xvi.  2p),  which  falls  on  the  tenth  day  of  the  seventh 
month  of  the  Jewish  year — part  of  September  and  October  of  our 
calendar. 

3  A  tempestuous  wind. — The  Greek  adjective  used  is  typhofiic; 
hence  our  word  "  typhoon."  "  Euroclydon,"  or  Euraquilo  (R.V.), 
"north-east,"  or  more  strictly  "  east  by  north." 

»  Clauda.— R.V.  "Cauda,"  now  "  Gozzo  " 
xoa 


148  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

from  their  place  of  shelter,  and  as  it  was  impossible  to 
carry  sail,  they  lowered  the  big  yard  on  to  the  deck,  and 
with  a  bare  mast  drove  before  the  wind.  Soon,  alas  !  a 
new  danger  threatened  them.  They  were  being  driven 
right  in  the  direction  of  the  Syrtes — treacherous  quick- 
sands on  the  African  coast.  It  was  a  terrible  experience. 
All  night  long  the  storm  raged  furiously,  while  the 
passengers,  cold  and  drenched  with  the  waves,  expected 
every  moment  that  the  vessel  would  go  down.  Morning 
brought  no  improvement.  To  lighten  the  sadly  disabled 
ship,  the  captain  ordered  the  cargo  to  be  thrown  over- 
board ;  but  this  was  not  enough,  and  after  another 
awful  day  and  night  the  heavy  yard  and  the  big  main- 
sail with  all  their  tackling  had  also  to  be  cast  away.  A 
dismal  time  ■  followed.  For  many  days — sunless  days, 
and  wild  starless  nights — the  dismantled  hulk,  swept  by 
the  surging  waves,  drifted  no  one  knew  whither,  while 
the  shivering,  famishing  wretches  on  board  gave  them- 
selves up  to  despair. 

Through  that  awful  time,  however,  one  man  on  board 
preserved  his  calm  and  his  courage.  It  was  Paul,  the 
prisoner.  Amidst  the  wild  confusion  he  had  betaken 
himself  to  prayer,  and  God  had  filled  his  heart  with  a 
calm  assurance  that  although  shipwreck  was  before  them 
not  a  life  would  be  lost ;  and  so  we  see  the  Roman 
prisoner — the  Christian  missionary — standing  forward 
on  the  wave-washed  deck  inspiring  hope  and  courage 
into  the  sinking  hearts  of  sailors  and  soldiers  as  well  as 
passengers.  "  Whoso  trusteth  in  the  Lord,  happy  is  he." 
Shipwreck  (chap,  xxvii.  27-44). — FoJ^  fourteen  ter- 
rible days  the  storm  raged  with  unabated  fury.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  the  misery  of  the  unhappy  voyagers 
culminated  in  a  new  terror,  for  in  the  midnight  darkness 
a  cry  arose  that  there  were  ' '  breakers  "  ahead  !  They 
were  being  driven  ashore  on  a  rocky  coast.  Dropping 
the  sounding  line,  they  found  their  worst  fears  confirmed, 
for  the  water  was  getting  rapidly  shallower.  In  wild 
haste  they  cast  four  anchors  out  from  the  stern,  and 
to  their  great  joy  they  found  that  these  held.     Then 


A  DISASTROUS   VOYAGE  149 

through  the  remaining  hours  of  that  long  wintry  night, 
in  the  extreme  of  misery  and  peril,  they  swung  and 
tossed  there,  every  soul  on  board  yearning  for  daybreak. 
At  length  through  murky  clouds  and  rain  the  day 
began  to  dawn.  In  its  dim  light  some  of  the  sailors 
were  seen  lowering  the  boat  under  the  pretence  that 
they  were  going  to  put  out  more  anchors,  but  in  reality 
that  they  might  escape,  leaving  the  hapless  passengers 
to  their  fate.  Once  again  Paul  came  to  the  help  of 
his  companions,  for  he  warned  Julius  of  their  design,  and 
the  soldiers  instantly  cut  the  ropes  of  the  boat  and  let 
her  drift  away.  The  dawning  light  showed  that  they 
were  being  driven  on  the  rocks,  and  would  have  to 
struggle  for  their  lives.  Faint  and  famished  as  they 
were,  however, — for  it  was  a  fortnight  since  they  had 
eaten  a  proper  meal, — they  were  ill  able  for  that  struggle, 
and  once  more  Paul  came  to  their  aid.  Getting  a  meal 
served,  he  urged  and  encouraged  them  to  eat  it,  and  by 
his  confidence  and  example  was  so  successful  that  they 
ate  and  were  refreshed.  When  daylight  came  prepara- 
tions were  made  and  the  ship  was  run  aground  on  a 
bank,  where  the  bow  stuck  fast,  while  the  stem,  beaten 
by  the  merciless  waves,  began  to  break  up.i  It  was  a 
critical  moment — a  time  when  every  man  must  look  to 
himself;  but,  at  that  moment,  yet  another  danger  threat- 
ened Paul  and  his  fellow-prisoners.  A  Roman  soldier 
was  responsible  for  his  prisoners  with  his  own  life,  and 
no  excuse  whatever  was  admitted  if  he  allowed  one  to 
escape.  A  cry  therefore  rose  among  the  soldiers  to  kill 
the  prisoners,  lest  any  of  them  should  escape.  We 
shudder  when  we  think  what  horrible  cruelty  this  would 
have  been  in  such  circumstances.  Yet  it  would  have 
been  done  but  for  Paul's  sake.  Julius  felt  that  it  would 
be  base  ingratitude  to  kill  the  man  who  had  done  so 
much  for  them,  so  he  forbade  it,  and  gave  instead  the 
order  that  those  who  could  swim  should  first  cast  them- 

1  The  place  where  the  wreck  took  place  was  probably  in  St.  Paul's 
Bay  in  the  north  of  Malta,  a  little  to  the  north-west  of  Valetta, 
between  Koura  Point  and  the  little  island  of  Salmonetta. 


ISO  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

selves  into  the  sea  and  get  to  land,  while  the  others, 
clutching  spars  and  planks  from  the  ship,  now  rapidly 
breaking  up,  drifted  ashore,  and  thus  escaped.  When 
they  gathered  on  the  beach,  a  drenched,  miserable  crowd, 
some  of  them  no  doubt  almost  more  dead  than  alive, 
it  was  found  that  Paul's  word  had  been  true,  for  the 
roll-call  showed  not  a  life  missing. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

ROME   AT   LAST 

Sojourn  at  Malta  (chap,  xxviii.  i-io). — The  island  on 
which  they  had  been  cast  proved  to  be  Melita  or  Malta, 
and  the  natives  ^  received  the  shipwrecked  strangers  with 
much  kindness.  A  fire  was  kindled  that  they  might  be 
dried  and  warmed,  and  while  Paul,  ever  active  and  ready 
to  help,  was  gathering  brushwood  to  heap  on  the  fire,  a 
viper,  waked  up  by  the  heat,  darted  out  from  among  the 
sticks  and  fastened  on  his  hand.  Seeing  this,  the  simple 
natives  concluded  that  he  must  be  some  murderer,  whom, 
though  he  had  escaped  the  sea,  justice  would  not  suffer 
to  live.  When,  however,  Paul  shook  off  the  beast  into 
the  fire  and  felt  no  harm,  they  immediately  rushed  to  the 
opposite  extreme  and  declared  that  he  must  be  a  god  I 
Among  those  simple  people  Paul  and  his  companions 
remained  three  months,  receiving  much  kindness.  The 
governor  of  the  island  himself — a  man  named  Publius 
— received  them  hospitably,  and  Paul  repaid  his  kind- 
ness by  miraculously  curing  his  father,  who  lay  ill  with 
fever  and  dysenter}'.^  The  report  of  this  miracle  spread 
through  the  island,  and  many  other  sick  persons  were 
brought  to  the  Apostle  to  be  cured.     So  the  time  passed 

1  Barbarous  people  (R.V.   "barbarians"),  i.e.  not  speaking 
Latin  or  Greek. 

2  Dysentery  (R.V.).    The  words  used  are  technical  terms,  such 
as  a  physician  would  employ. 


ROME  AT  LAST  151 

until  at  the  end  of  three  months  they  left  the  island 
amidst  demonstrations  of  affection  and  respect. 

From  Malta  to  Rome  (chap,  xxviii.  11-16). — On 

the  return  of  spring,  another  grain  ship  of  Alexandria, 
the  Castor  and  Pollux^  which  had  been  wintering  in 
Malta,  prepared  to  sail  for  Rome,  and  in  it  Julius 
secured  a  passage  for  himself  and  his  prisoners ;  so  once 
more  they  set  sail.  After  calling  at  Syracuse,  in  Sicily, 
and  at  Rhegium,  on  the  coast  of  Italy,  the  vessel  brought 
them  to  Puteoli,  the  port  where  the  Egyptian  grain 
vessels  discharged  their  cargoes  to  be  taken  on  to  Rome 
in  small  vessels  that  could  sail  up  the  Tiber.  Here 
the  passengers  were  landed ;  and  soon  the  loiterers  on 
the  quay  saw  the  prisoners,  with  the  soldiers  guarding 
them,  marched  ashore.  In  Puteoli  there  were  some 
Christians,  and  these,  when  they  heard  of  Paul's  arrival, 
hurried  down  to  meet  him.  How  vexed  they  must 
have  been  to  see  the  Apostle,  of  whom  they  had  so 
often  heard,  in  chains,  guarded  by  soldiers,  and  bearing 
in  his  appearance  sad  traces  of  his  suffering  and  ship- 
wreck !  As  Julius  remained  in  Puteoli  for  a  week,  Paul 
was  allowed  to  spend  those  days  with  his  Christian 
friends,  and  the  peaceful,  happy  time  refreshed  his 
spirit.  Too  soon  the  week  ended,  and  then  began 
the  march  of  140  miles  to  Rome.  News  of  Paul's 
approach  had  reached  Rome  before  him,  and  a 
company  of  the  Christians  walked  out  to  meet  and 
welcome  him,  some  of  them  coming  as  far  as  Appii 
Forum,  a  distance  of  40  miles,  and  others  as  far  as  a 
town  called  The  Three  Taverns  or  The  Three  Shops, 
about  30  miles  from  Rome.  All  along  the  famous 
Appian  Way,  by  which  they  travelled,  there  were 
interesting  scenes  and  memorials  of  the  past,  but  the 
only  thing  which  Luke  thinks  it  worth  while  to  men- 
tion is  the  great  encouragement  Paul  received  from  the 
welcome  of  those  brethren.  When  he  saw  them  he 
thanked  God  and  took  courage.  At  length  the  party 
reached  Rome.  Paul's  long-cherished  hope  was  realised. 
I  R.V.  "The  Twin  Brothers." 


152  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

He  was  entering  Rome,  but  oh  !  how  differently  from 
what  he  had  ever  dreamed — a  chained  prisoner,  guarded 
by  soldiers  and  on  his  way  to  trial.  How  often  we  find 
it  so  in  life  !  We  attain  a  long-cherished  purpose,  but 
lo  I  it  is  very  different  from  what  we  had  pictured.  On 
arriving  in  the  city,  Julius  handed  over  his  prisoners  to 
the  captain  or  prefect  of  the  Prsetorian  troops  who  served 
as  the  Emperor's  bodyguard,  and  had  charge  of  all 
prisoners  sent  from  the  provinces  to  be  tried  before  the 
Emperor.  The  kindly  centurion  must  have  spoken 
favourably  of  his  remarkable  prisoner,  for,  instead  of 
being  confined  with  the  other  prisoners,  Paul  was  allowed 
to  procure  a  lodging  for  himself,  and  to  live  there 
guarded  by  a  soldier,  to  whom  he  was  chained,  but  with 
free  permission  to  see  his  friends.  \ 

An  Interview  with  the  Jews  (chap,  xxviii.  17- 

22). — In  Rome  there  were  many  Jews,  and  Paul  was 
anxious  that,  as  usual,  his  first  appeal  should  be  addressed 
to  them.  Since  he  could  not  go  to  the  sjmagogue,  he 
invited  them  to  come  and  see  him  in  his  lodging,  and 
there  he  explained  to  them  that  he  had  been  guilty 
of  no  offence  either  against  his  country  or  his  religion  | 
that  he  had  made  his  appeal  to  the  Emperor  from  no 
desire  to  accuse  his  own  nation,  but  in  order  to  save  his 
life  ;  that  the  Roman  magistrates,  after  examination,  had 
admitted  his  innocence,  and  would  have  let  him  go  but 
for  the  Jews  in  Jerusalem ;  and  that  he  was  a  prisoner 
really  because  he  believed  that  the  hope  of  Israel  had 
been  fulfilled,  and  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  the  Christ. 
The  reply  of  the  Jews  was  very  diplomatic  They  did 
not  wish  to  get  involved  in  any  trouble  with  the 
Romans,  so  they  answered  that  neither  by  word  nor 
by  letter  had  they  received  any  accusation  against  him 
personally  ;  but  as  for  this  sect, — the  Christians, — they 
knew  that  everywhere  they  were  spoken  against.  They 
would,  however,  be  glad  to  hear  what  he  thought  and 
knew  of  that  doctrine.  Paul  asked  them  to  choose  their 
own  day  for  coming  to  his  lodging,  and  he  would  explain 
it  to  them.      A  large  number  came,  and  to  them  he 


ROME  AT  LAST  153 

preached  the  Gospel,  reasoning  and  discussing  the 
subject  the  long  day  through,  with  the  usual  result, — 
some  were  convinced,  but  many  believed  not.  Before 
the  meeting  broke  up  Paul  solemnly  warned  the  un- 
believers against  the  doom  of  penal  blindness,  reminding 
them  of  Isaiah's  prophecy  ^  of  a  people  who  could  not  see 
the  truth  because  they  would  not,  and  declaring  that 
he  would  now  address  himself  to  the  Gentiles,  who 
were  willing  to  hear.  Thus  in  Rome,  as  elsewhere,  a 
separation  took  place  between  the  obdurate  Jews  and 
the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles.  ^ 

Two  Years  a  Prisoner  in  Eome  (chap,  xxvui. 

30,  31). — The  days  dragged  wearily  on,  and  still  the 
day  of  trial  came  not.  Possibly  the  witnesses  had  not 
arrived  ;  perhaps  the  Emperor  was  otherwise  occupied. 
Anyhow,  two  whole  years  passed.  The  Apostle,  how- 
ever, was  not  idle.  To  that  hired  house  many  a  one 
came  and  learned  from  him  the  way  of  life.  True,  he 
was  chained,  but  the  Word  of  God  was  not  bound,  and 
to  all  who  came  he  preached  the  Gospel  "  with  all  bold- 
ness, no  man  forbidding  him."  Here  the  writer  of  the 
Book  of  Acts  suddenly  leaves  him.  It  is  with  this 
picture  of  Apostolic  preaching  in  Rome,  the  centre  of 
the  world,  that  he  ends  his  book.  We  would  have  liked 
to  follow  the  Apostle  farther.  From  their  own  terms 
we  learn  that  during  these  two  years  he  wrote  some 
of  those  epistles  which  are  the  precious  heritage  of 
the  Christian  Church,^  and  that  he  was  cheered  by  the 
companionship  of  some  of  his  most  valued  firiends.^ 
We  have  also  references  to  one  or  two  happy  incidents 
which  occurred  like  gleams  of  sunshine  brightening  his 
prison  life.  Luke's  purpose,  however,  is  not  to  trace 
the  biography  of  the  Apostle,  but  to  record  the  planting 

1  Isaiah  vi.  9,  lo.  This  passage  is  more  frequently  quoted  in  the 
New  Testament  than  any  other  words  from  the  Old.  It  was  quoted 
by  our  Lord,  Matt.  xiii.  14 ;  Mark  iv.  12 ;  Luke  viii.  10 ;  see  also 
John  xii.  40. 

'■^  Those  to  the  Philippians,  the  Colossians,  and  Philemon. 

3  Besides  Luke  and  Aristarchus,  he  had  the  companionship  of 
Tychicus,  of  Timothy,  of  Epaphroditus,  and  of  Mark. 


154  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 


of  the  Christian  Church.     Now  the  banner  of  the  Cross  is 
planted  on  the  citadel  of  the  World  !     At  the  beginning 
of  his  book  he  recorded  for  us  the  "marching  orders" 
given  on  the  day  of  the  Ascension.     He  described  the 
endowment  of  power  from  on  high  given  at  Pentecost. 
He  has  testified  to  the  faithfuhiess  and  labour  with  which 
those  marching  orders  have  been  carried  out  in  face  of 
opposition  from  fanatical  Jews  and  hostile  Gentiles.     He 
has  told  how  through  persecution,  suffering,  and  death 
the  followers  of  Jesus  have  won  their  conquests,  and  how 
they  have  left— like  garrisons  in  a  conquered  territory-- 
a  countless  array  of  little  Christian  churches,  not  only  in 
Palestine,  but  scattered   throughout   Asia,   AfHca,   and 
Europe,  to  claim  and  hold  the  land  for  Christ.     Now  in 
his  last"  sentence  he  shows  us  the  standard  raised  and 
the  garrison  planted  in  the  centre  of  Imperial  Rome— 
the  Apostle  preaching  the  truth  with  all  boldness,  no  man 
forbidding  him.     It  is  the  victory  of  God's  truth.     It  is 
the  triumph  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.     It  is  the  fitting 
close  of  the  Book  of  Acts.i 

1  Clironology  of  the  Book  of  Acts. 
The  dates  of  the  various  incidents  in  the  Book  of  Acts  have  been 
obtained  with  more  or  less  accuracy  by  noting  one  or  two  points  at 
which  the  sacred  narrative  touches  events  in  secular  history,  and 
counting  backwards  or  forwards  from  these.  The  death  of  Herod 
Agrippa  occurred,  we  know,  in  44  a.d.;  the  expulsion  of  the  Jews 
from  Rome  took  place  in  52  A.D. ;  Porcius  Festus  became  Pr^urator 
in  60  A.D. ;  and  the  persecution  by  Nero  took  place  in  64  A.D.^  ihe 
following  chronological  table  may  be  given  (foUowing  Meyer;  *— 
A.D.  31 — The  Ascension  of  Christ. 

34— The  Martyrdom  of  Stephen. 
35— The  Conversion  of  Paul. 
,,     43— Paul  goes  to  Antioch  (chap.  xu.  «$> 
„     44— Martyrdom  of  James. 

»»     *5  \  Paul's  First  Missionary  Jovuney. 

"     ti— The  First  Council  at  Jerusalem  (chap.  XV.). 

»»     52  I  Paul's  Second  Missionary  Journey. 

•  !*  55  "I  Paul's  Third  Missionary  Journey.      ^_ 

I,  59  /  Paul's  Arrest  at  Jerusalem  (chap.  xxii.  24). 

»»  59  \  The  Two  Years'  Imprisonment  at  Caesarea. 

tf  ^° } 

„  61  \  Paul's  Arrival  at  Rome. 

^  63  /  Paul's  Two  Years'  Impnsonment  In  Koine. 


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